Sittin' At A Bar
by Writtentoberead
Summary: Santana had a bad day, so she goes out. To avoid an ex, she leaves her favorite place and tries a new bar for the night. Will something, or someone, keep pulling her back after?
1. Chapter 1

*Glee is not owned by me. Depressing, right?

It's a Wednesday night. The crowd is a good size for the night, not as big as the weekend one. Most of the people sitting at the various tables are regulars, a few new faces but nobody who really stands out. The waitresses are fake-laughing at the sexual compliments given to them by creepy men who come for the skimpy outfits. What else could be expected by a bar run by Puck?

Brittany Pierce can't complain much though, like she ever would anyways. Puck had hired her as the choreographer for the various random dances that happen throughout the nights. He wanted a strip club, but decided he wanted to make his mother proud. This was his hardly better solution. A blown whistle means the girls better find some room to whip out the sexy moves that seems to make the money flow a little more. The girls usually got some pretty good tips as well.

Her desire to be social with people and lack of things to do at night have also led her to be a bartender. While she doesn't mind the outfits or even the creepy comments, she was scared of her clumsy feet when she wasn't dancing. It was easy to get distracted by all of the things going on. Some people played pool all night, winning and losing money. There were some theme nights every now and then, and of course karaoke and nights to celebrate the big games during various sports seasons. All of this led to Brittany strictly working behind the bar. She liked it because it gave her a chance to talk to the people who were more lonely, sitting on the stools by themselves instead of in groups at the tables.

Tonight she was mostly talking to Finn. He worked as a delivery man and actually dropped off most of the liquor that circulated Puck's bar. Since Puck and Finn go way back, he was at the bar almost nightly. He's been offered a job here many times by Puck but he only works when he needs the money, otherwise he prefers to "enjoy it." Brittany is a little creeped out by that statement, knowing Finn is currently single, and often hits on the girls way out of his league.

"How was your route today?"

"Nothing special. I dropped two cases of some special imported stuff, now that's coming out of my check. Luckily I've been eating pretty much nothing besides TV dinners and this bar's food so I have a little bit of extra money to cover it."

Brittany scrunched up her nose at the mention of the man's eating habits. TV dinners were just gross and everybody knew the bar food was a little sketchy. She was about to reply when a whistle was blown. The girls working out on the floor immediately set down any trays or pitchers they were holding and moved to free space. There were hoots and hollers from the slightly more drunk and perverted men. Even a few drunk girls threw out some shouts and started wiggling dangerously in their own seats.

Finn had a goofy grin on his face while Puck came up beside Brittany and smirked at the customers' reactions. Bass Down Low by Dev started to play loudly through the speakers set up strategically throughout the bar. The girls started their dance.

Brittany never really participated. She did, however, do small movements as she did the dance in her head and watched to make sure all of the girls were getting it. Sometimes they would have trouble with Brittany's more advanced moves and she tried to make it simpler and helped them to her best abilities but some were just a lost cause. Also, the various girls who downed shots on the job while Puck wasn't looking didn't help themselves.

"Tina's looking a little sloppy tonight. She been having trouble at rehearsal?" Puck whispered this to Brittany, not wanting to draw any attention to the girl in question.

"No. I think it's Artie. She's been having trouble with him. Tina found out he was saving money and not telling her. She had gotten her hopes up for an engagement ring and then Monday he came home with a new expensive gaming thingy." Brittany shook her head in disgust. It was guys like Artie that reminded her why she always kept girls an option in romantic relationships.

"I bet he didn't even know what he did wrong. I like the guy, but sometimes he needs to get his head out of his ass. Girls are _way _more fun than technology."

"I really think that was the last straw for her. They've been together for so long that she doesn't want to be the bad guy and break it off but she needs to be happy. I told her to just go for it and if she needs a place to stay, my apartment is open."

"What about Berry?"

"She won't be back for another month or so. She's doing promotion for her latest movie. She wants us to go to the premiere but it's supposed to be action-y. I don't like those kind of movies. She should do a _Finding Nemo 2_. I love Dori!"

"Do you think she'd be my date?"

Finn's head snapped back to the conversation going on behind the bar at the mention of Puck taking Rachel to the premiere. That had been his plan. Puck was oblivious but Brittany saw the hurt look on his face. Both guys had been thinking about asking Rachel out since they met her through Brittany but she didn't want any relationships while she was working on her movie. Now that it was pretty much done, they both had the same idea.

"I don't know…"

"C'mon Britt! Give me something. What's her favorite kind of flower?"

Brittany scrunched up her face, confused. "Why would you want to know that?"

"So I can get her flowers! Don't girls like stuff like that?"

Brittany scratched at her nose, contemplating whether or not she should really answer. "I guess."

"So tell me!"

"Nope."

Puck just sat there with his mouth open. Brittany was always willing to give people a helping hand, especially when it came to other people getting together.

"Why?"

"Because it will give you an unfair advantage! Duh!" Brittany rolled her eyes, why didn't Puck get it?

"Unfair advantage?"

"Yea. Maybe _other_ people want a chance, too." Finn shifted uncomfortably at Brittany's rather true statement. He had avoided entering the conversation but had been listening intently for awhile now.

"Like _who?_" Brittany sighed. He was clearly not aware of his best friend's longing for the same girl.

She started cleaning a few shot glasses, trying to stall and avoid giving Puck a definite answer. Luckily, she was given the perfect distraction. All three mouths dropped as a gorgeous, yet distraught looking, brunette sat down a few stools away from Finn. The woman in question practically threw down her phone and shook her head.

Brittany's mind turned to mush as she took in the beautiful Latina sitting not too far from where she stood. The currently un-named girl had luscious dark tresses, not to mention lips that could be kissed for hours. The blonde quickly appreciated the cleavage that was currently on display, then realized she was staring, blushed, and turned away. The rest of the tan girl's body was hidden by the bar, but Brittany was already imagining it in her head, and she was impressed.

Puck almost immediately went over to her with a confident smirk on his face. Rachel had already been forgotten.

"What do you want to drink, sexy?"

* * *

><p>Santana Lopez has had a shitty day.<p>

It started out, in fact, with a trip to the hospital. She worked as a cheerleading coach for the local high school. Her squad had won her enough trophies to rival Sue Sylvester, who had inevitably gotten her the current job. It was at a private school so she was paid well for what she did and how much she won. Having an award winning squad must not have occurred to her kids today because they decided to be fuck-ups and drop the head cheerleader, Britney.

After making sure the girl was still breathing, Santana had one of the younger girls call an ambulance because she was so not taking any of those gross kids into her car. The dumb-ass had tried to remember the address of the school to give to the dispatcher instead of just saying the name of the school. Making sure, one of the older girls was keeping Britney conscious, she took over the call and got the ball rolling. Ten minutes later, she was on her way to the hospital.

Because it was an early morning practice, when Britney's parents were notified, they weren't happy since they had each just arrived at work. Both came in and started yelling at Santana, ignoring their blonde daughter's pleas of "Don't yell at Coach!" and "Cut it out!", fearing she was going to get cut from the team due to her parent's antics.

"Pull your goddamn princess out of cheerleading if you don't want her to get hurt. It may not always be considered a sport, but it runs the same risk of injury as any other one."

Britney looked horrified and yelled at her parents to get the hell out of her hospital room and apologized to her coach.

"I'm so sorry Coach Lopez! They aren't thinking straight. I want to continue cheerleading!"

"Get your spankies out of a bunch, you're still on the team and still head cheerleader. However, if this happens again, you're gone."

With that, Santana walked out of the room.

When she arrived back at the school, there was an excited buzz going around. She stalked the halls, parting the sea of children just like she did when she was a teenager. Paying attention to the snippets of conversation going on around her, she found out there was a new student teacher starting today. Apparently it was some hot blonde that was already winning over the hearts of the kids and staff. If Santana had been here all morning, she would have been sure to have put the fear of God in the new girl and remind everybody who the HBIC around here is.

Usually when she walked into the teacher's lounge, everybody would stop what they were doing for a second. The males would stare at her with want and the females with jealousy. However, today the blonde was in the center of the room talking to a few of the other teachers about how she loved children and all of that crap. For the rest of the day, people wouldn't even look twice at Santana because all everybody else was hot for teacher. It didn't help her mood at all.

The next blow came from her best friend. Quinn Fabray was apparently scoping out her latest potential relationship, as found out by Santana through a phone call once she arrived home.

"I need a favor." Santana scoffed, so much for hellos anymore.

"What do you want _this _time?"

"What do you mean _this_ time? I hardly ever ask you for anything."

"Ok, first off, you ask me for crap all of the time. Second, you should sass anybody your asking a damn favor from. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"Considering she didn't fight for me when my dad kicked me out, I don't really try to learn from her example." Santana remembered that situation well. It was how she had grown to be friends with Mercedes, who volunteered her house as a safe haven for Quinn.

"She let you back in after the divorce."

"Can we get back to the original topic?"

"Ok, What?"

"I need you to take Ariana Friday night."

"Why?"

Quinn paused, knowing the torment that was about to come with this.

"I have a date."

"With _who?_"

"A guy I recently met."

"How the hell did you catch this one?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. Your life is like my own personal soap opera and I wants to know the deets." Santana expected backlash for the last word. None came, however, so she knew this was going to be good.

"He is a father of one of Ariana's classmates."

"Oh lord. Isn't one kid enough for you, Q. Do you really need another?"

Quinn knew this was how it was going to go. Santana was always critical of every potential date. She knew it was because the girl was protective of her ever since the whole Ariana pregnancy with Sam in high school. Santana had blamed Sam for Quinn being kicked out since he knocked her up, even though he had been nothing but supportive in all of Quinn's decisions.

"It is a date, Santana. I'm not marrying the guy."

"Wait, you've seen his kid, right?"

"Yes?" Quinn wondered where that could be going.

"Well, I mean, he could've just been lurking around the school yard. Creeps do that, you know!"

"Ok, enough with the jabs at my dates. Do you think I have no standards?"

Santana snorted.

"Thanks. Anyways, will you take her?" Santana heard Quinn's daughter next. "Please, Auntie Tana!"

Santana sighed, already knowing she would, but it wasn't fair of her best friend to use full on Ariana cuteness when she knew Santana had a weakness for that kid.

"You can come, Ari. Make sure your mom knows you're getting plenty of sugar and unhealthy stuff when you come, though."

She heard a squeal of delight from the 5 year old and a groan from the girl's mother.

"Do you have to do that every time I ask you to babysit?"

"That's what makes me her favorite aunt."

"Whatever, Santana. But seriously, thank you, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Die. I'm your life support."

"Well I've gotta go. My mom's taking us out to eat tonight. Want to come?"

"No." Santana hated Judy Fabray with a passion.

"Bye, Santana." Quinn handed over the phone. "Bye, Auntie S!"

"Bye Fabrays."

Santana loved that little girl but Friday nights were usually _her _night. She was finally given a reprieve from the devil children that plagued her days during school hours. Usually she took those nights as her opportunities to find some new one night stands. Looks like she'll have to do double another day next week.

Finally, the cherry to top off her day came. Santana dressed up and made sure she looked smoking hot. Maybe tonight she would do her double duty to make up for Friday. She was going to her favorite club to drink away her stress from all of the people who added some rain to her sunshine today. It was a little weird that they were all blondes. It was inevitable that the last straw would be given by yet another blonde.

As she walked into the club, it was already thumping from the loud bass. Santana walked straight up to the bar, basking in the attention she was receiving from everybody around her. Jaws were dropped and some drool made an appearance on a few faces. It didn't take long before something familiar caught her eye.

Dancing in the middle of the floor, gathering almost as much attention as she was, was her most recent ex. The blonde haired beauty was grinding on a some guy who looked like a major douche. As the girl caught Santana's eye, she turned around and started to make out with the very handsy guy. The Latina practically growled. She didn't care for her ex anymore, but it was more of a territorial thing. That, and she knew the girl was only doing it to spite her. Girls were such bitches, but damnit they were so soft and sexy.

Not wanting to deal with that drama, Santana left the club. She was now more pissed than ever and practically sped to a different bar. It was one she had heard of around the school that sometimes served minors out of the back door. It sounded a little sketchy, but she figured at this point, she didn't give a shit.

All of this left her where she is now, sitting at a bar. When she walked in, she silently and quickly appreciated the sight of the practically half naked waitresses, but headed straight for the booze.

She had chosen her seat that was away from most of the other people. The closest guy was a tall, wide man who looked a little worried or nervous. He was talking to two people behind the bar, neither of which Santana cared to acknowledge or even look at. That is, until the mohawked one approached her.

"What do you want to drink, sexy?"

* * *

><p>A*N - So, first chapter of my second multi-chap story. I told myself I'd put it out before my birthday and seeing as tomorrow is the 14th, my time is up! Here it is. I wrote it, crumpled it into a metaphorical cutely shaped note, and girly threw it out into the fan fiction world. Let me know if I should continue or not!<p>

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Santana wanted to laugh out loud at the guy in front of her if she wasn't so pissed at her day. Did he really just call her sexy? She knew she was hot, but he was definitely barking up the wrong tree. However, it was nice to use her sex appeal to her advantage, especially when the victim had no idea of what she really liked.

"What can I get that is on the house?" She used her sultry voice, faintly noticing the blonde nearby shiver. The mohawked guy almost looked as goofy as the guy next to her who had started saying something that sounded like "nail can" or "mailman."

"Well, I'm the owner," He was clearly trying to impress her. "so whatever you like."

Santana chanced a glance over at the blonde. The light haired girl looked as if she was listening in and wanted to jump into the conversation, but at the same time she looked like she was about to have a panic attack.

"What do you recommend, Blondie?"

Brittany whipped her head around to turn and look at the girl she was desperately trying to avoid staring at. "M-me?"

"Yea."

Brittany wracked her brain for a drink that she thought the brunette would like. "How about I surprise you?"

"Go for it." Brittany set to work while Puck tried to think of another way to get the woman's attention.

"So, first time here?"

Santana was getting kind of annoyed at the bartender. She had gotten her free drink from him and that's really all she was after. It was going to kill her to play nice but it might lead to more free drinks.

"Oh yea. I heard it was a great place."

"Wait until you see the dances."

Santana heard that little bit and she was intrigued. "What dances? Is this a strip club or something?"

"No, but I'll give you a lap dance!" Puck joked with her but continued after he saw her less-than-amused expression. "_Blondie_ here is our choreographer and every now and then throughout the night, a whistle blows and the girls dance. If you ever need a job, I would love to have you join in. Of course, you'd have to try out…privately."

Santana scoffed at the gross offering. "I have a job." She hoped short answers would stop conversation with this annoying creep. Thankfully, by now Brittany was done with the drink and set it in front of Santana.

The latina took a small sip, wary of what the drink really was. To her surprise, it was one of the best things she ever tasted but it wasn't at all familiar.

"What is this?"

"Do you not like it?" Brittany felt stupid. Of course she wouldn't like it.

"No! I love it! I just want to know what it is because I don't recognize it." Santana wondered why she felt the need to reassure the blonde so quickly. Comforting people wasn't exactly her strong suit except when it came to Quinn and her daughter. She gave a sigh of relief when the blonde's frown quickly turned into a proud smile.

"It's my own special creation!"

"What's it called?"

"A duck in the hat!"

Santana chuckled at the weird name. It made no sense to her but obviously the blonde knew something she didn't. Not to mention, it was all kinds of adorable when the girl behind the bar said it. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have referred them to a mental hospital.

"So what is your job?" Brittany had overheard the conversation between the brunette and Puck, who had moved back to talk to Finn. Both of the guys kept stealing glances at Santana and for some reason she didn't really understand, it made her a little mad.

The girl sipped at her drink again as she thought about if she really wanted to talk to the blonde. The girl who had questioned her was currently giving the two guys beside them an almost glare. It would have been more menacing if Santana hadn't thought about how cute it was. She took the time to quickly appreciate the hotness that was the pale, athletic form in front of her before she decided that it wouldn't hurt to answer. Besides, she wanted to talk to the blonde more anyways.

"I am a cheerleading coach." Santana gave her answer with a smirk. Brittany's mouth went dry at the image of the darker girl in a cheerleading uniform and doing all kinds of jumps and cheers as if she was part of her own squad. Not being able to form a real reply, she just nodded in what she hoped looked like understanding.

"So I know what you do and you know what I do. Can you tell me your name?" Brittany blushed, realizing they hadn't even made the most simple introductions yet. "I'm Brittany S. Pierce. Not to be confused with Britney Spears. I'm more talented than her."

Santana actually giggled a little. She didn't know if it was from the strong drink or the way her heart did a funny little flip at every smile the blonde gave her.

"I'm Santana Lopez. Not to be confused with Carlos Santana. I'm more talented than him."

Brittany laughed at the way Santana had introduced herself, almost the same way she did. She was more than giddy inside to know she was able to make the girl in front of her laugh and smile, especially when she came in looking so angry.

Both girls were trying to think of things to talk about because neither wanted the conversation to end. They were given a small reprieve when they heard the whistle blow.

Santana gave Brittany a questioning look to which the blonde replied by nodding her head towards the rest of the room as waitresses put down their loads. Pitbull's new song played and the girls danced a different routine. The usual hoots and hollers were heard throughout the bar and guys were already pulling out more money as if it would motivate the dancers.

_It's like a secret strip club_. Santana thought with a laugh. She swiveled in her stool as if to scan the room but really she was trying to see if Brittany was also participating behind the bar. If she was honest, that was the only girl she really wanted to see doing this dance because it was pretty sexy. She was disappointed when she noticed the blonde only wriggled slightly and she noticed the girl was counting out the steps under her breath.

Santana was also confused because any other time she would have gladly enjoyed the view of these dancing girls. Why was it that she only wanted one this time? Even when she had her previous girlfriends she frequently had wandering eyes as they went to clubs or even just walked down the street.

After the dance was over, Puck called over to Santana. "So chica, thinking of quitting your day job and coming to work for me?"

Santana scoffed again, not really liking this guy at all. She also couldn't help but noticed that Brittany had a weird look on her face. It was almost, hopeful? She shook her head, thinking it must be her own imagination. "No thanks. I prefer not having to deal with sexual harassment at work."

Puck shot Finn an angry glance as the man laughed at Santana's blow. They got back into their own little argument about some stupid thing.

"I'm sorry about Puck. He's really a good guy but he can be a bit sketchy at times." Brittany hated when Puck did this to girls. Usually she would just try to ignore it and let the girl decide for herself but she couldn't stand the thought of Santana with him. It had almost broken her heart when the brunette started flirting with him when she first arrived.

"He must be a little slow, too. I haven't taken any of his bait except for the free alcohol. You would think he got the hint that he is not exactly my type?"

The blonde decided to go out on a limb. She tried to play it as cool as she could before she asked her question, trying to act as if she didn't really care about the answer. "What is your type?"

Growing bolder with the liquid courage in her veins, Santana pretended to think really hard before answering. "Dancing blonde's with banging bodies." She said with a wink and a smirk.

The blonde turned around to put away shot glasses while hiding her blush and her own internal freak out. _She just described me!_ Brittany took a few calming breaths but inside her body was going nuts with excitement and want for the other girl. Never before had she felt this for any girl, or any guy for that matter. She willed herself to stay cool and not look like a dork. After a lot of fumbling around trying to look busy, she turned around with a huge smile.

For the first time in her life Santana was worried that she came on too strong when Brittany had turned around right away. She let out a relieved sigh that got caught in her throat when the blonde turned around with a dazzling smile. Deciding to turn the tables a bit, she asked the blonde the same question. "What's your type?"

Brittany takes a second to lean on the bar and think, accidentally giving Santana a great view of her cleavage, which the brunette appreciated. "Hmmm. Well I like people who are nice and smart, but not too smart that they make me feel stupid. I don't like feeling stupid."

"You're not." Santana interrupted. She didn't even know the girl and she herself felt a little stupid for saying that. The smile she was given was worth it all.

"Thanks. I don't really have a preference between guys and girls. It just depends on the person." Brittany finished with a nod of her head.

Santana took in the information like Quinn and Ariana take in bacon. On the outside, she remained her bad ass self just gave Brittany a flirty glance and smile.

Brittany suddenly jumped up, scaring Santana a little. She gave the Latina a goofy smile and reached into her pocket where her phone was vibrating. Looking quickly at the display screen, her smile faded slightly. "Excuse me, San. I have to take this, it's Artie."

Santana just gave an understanding nod while the blonde walked to the back behind the bar. Once she was out of sight, Santana grinned as she thought of Brittany calling her San. Nobody every really called her that before. It was either S or Santana. Then she shook her head. She felt dumb for not thinking the blonde had a boyfriend. Artie must be calling right now to check on when his girlfriend was coming home.

Frustrated with believing she had a chance with this adorable girl, Santana was about to get up and leave when blonde huffed as she walked back to her. Brittany gave her a confused and worried look when she saw Santana standing up to leave. "I'm sorry about that. He wanted to know what was up with Tina but I told him she wasn't going back to a boyfriend who plays video games all day. Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom. Hold my phone?" Santana quickly answered without really thinking and handed Brittany her cell phone. Why? She has no idea. It felt like she needed to prove she was coming back.

Once in the bathroom, she took a second to process what the girl had said. _Artie was dating this Tina chick? So Brittany wasn't dating him. What if she was dating someone else? Why the hell am I so concerned about all of this? I'm Santana Lopez, damnit. I don't want to take gorgeous, adorable, amazing blondes home for more than just sex. Oh my God. I want to _date _this girl. What is wrong with me?_

During her inner turmoil, an obviously near-drunk waitress walked into the bathroom. As the girl washed her hands, she noticed Santana hadn't really moved the whole time. More than that, she noticed Santana was _hot._

"Hey hot stuff." That was all the warning the waitress gave before crashing into Santana and sloppily kissing her. Normally, the Latina wouldn't mind because the waitress was pretty hot but all she could think about was Brittany. She pushed the drunk girl off of her and quickly walked out of the bathroom.

When she got back to her place at the bar, she noticed the bar owner, Puck, and the awkward fidgety man named Finn had moved to go play pool. This left her previous spot even more lonely, if it had not been for Brittany waiting behind the bar with a smile on her face. That smile quickly faded when she noticed Santana was once again flustered.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Santana lied, but she couldn't really tell Brittany everything that was going on in her mind. That'd be crazy.

"C'mon. Bars are here for people to complain about the troubles in their lives. It's pretty much my favorite part of the job to get to know somebody's story."

"Well. Did you know that the waitresses here like to make out with strangers in the bathroom?" She was just trying to avoid talking about her real problems but felt bad when she noticed Brittany's face fall.

"Y-you?" The brunette nodded her confirmation and Brittany was trying not to be heartbroken once again. After all, she barely knew Santana and had no real claim to her.

"I pushed her away. I already told you my type and, in case you forgot, sloppy drunks are not it." Back to flirt mode. She'll deal with the identity crisis she was having later. Santana knew it was the right choice when Brittany smiled and blushed, remembering what the girl's type was.

Puck came back over, much to both girls' disappointment.

"Hey Britt, didn't you say you had an audition tomorrow morning?"

Brittany nodded.

"You should go home early. I don't want you to be too tired and pull any of those gorgeous muscles of yours." Puck winked.

Brittany checked the time, realizing it was getting pretty late. "Thanks Puck. I'll be back tomorrow night."

"No worries. Just be sure to kick some ass." With that, Puck went back to his game.

"Audition?" Santana questioned, having listened in to the quick conversation.

Brittany blushed again. "Dancing. I go to them every once in awhile but I've never gotten anything big. That's always Rachel. I love to dance, though, so I don't give up. I'm sorry I have to go, but he's right." She was telling the truth. The last thing Brittany wanted to do was leave this woman, especially when there was a huge chance she might never see her again.

"It's ok. I should probably go home as well. I have school tomorrow after all." Santana was disappointed that Brittany had to leave. Really, she would stay out into the early hours of the morning but that seemed pointless now without the blonde there.

"Walk out with me?" Santana nodded her consent and waited for Brittany to gather her things up. Maybe if she got lucky, she could at least get a good night kiss.

The two girls made their way out. Many of the customers and waitresses said farewells to Brittany and the sloppy drunk girl even winked at Santana. The wink made the blonde unconsciously scoot a little closer to her darker counterpart, who didn't mind the gesture at all. In fact, she took a bold move and linked their arms together, feigning that there wasn't enough room to weave around the tables unless they were closer together.

"Where's your car at, Brittany?" Santana asked, looking around as if she would know it if she spotted it.

"I don't have one. I'm just going to call a cab." Brittany smiled and Santana had a thoughtful look on her face.

In her mind, Santana saw an opportunity for more time with the gorgeous woman. She had never given someone a ride home without expecting some action to be waiting for her there. With this girl, she didn't even mind and that continued her earlier confusion.

"Santana?"

The brunette shook her head, coming back out of her thoughts. "What?"

"Just checking to see if you're still with me. You zoned out for a bit like I do when Rachel talks too much but I wasn't talking."

"Do you want a ride home?"

The blonde grinned, not expecting, but hoping for her to offer. She didn't even care about the rapid change in subject. "Yes!"

Brittany didn't live far from the bar, so the drive consisted of a short talk about favorite restaurants and places to go in the city. Brittany went on for a few minutes about the duck pond in the park and Santana thought it was adorable. She was remembering all of Brittany's favorites, even though she figured they would never see each other again.

"This is it!" Brittany happily exclaimed, almost missing her own apartment building due to her duck rant.

"This?" Santana pulled up to one of the nicest complexes around. "Why do you work at a bar if this is your apartment?"

"For the entertainment, dancing, people, and my roommate pays for about eighty percent of it since she's famous and all."

Santana had no idea what the blonde was talking about but she assumed it was the Rachel girl she had been mentioning throughout the night. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

Brittany didn't want to leave, but she knew it would be weird to sit in the car any longer. On impulse, she leaned over and hugged the Latina, who hugged back tightly after a moment's hesitation.

"Thanks for the great night, Santana. I hope to see you again."

"Same here, Britt. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I decided to change things up tonight. Hopefully I can have another 'duck in the hat' one day, too. If you'll make it for me, that is."

"Of course I would love to!"

A small silence filled the car after that. Neither girl wanted to part from the other but there was no more reasons to stay. Brittany leaned over and gave Santana a kiss on her cheek with a sheepish smile. "Bye Santana." Then she pulled back and entered her apartment building.

Santana smiled the whole way back to her house. Maybe she would frequent that bar more often if it gave her the chance to see this girl who gave her goosebumps more often.

After a shower she changed into some boy shorts and tank top, both with the team's logo on them. She crawled into her silk sheets with a smile and her thoughts on the most recent events of the day.

Just before she drifted off to sleep, her phone vibrated with a text message. The display screen read something she never put in her phone: _Brittany (from the bar)_

* * *

><p>A*N - So positive response equals continuing story! Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts! (Even the few birthday wishes that were sent to me!)<p>

There is way more to come so as long as I get people telling me to continue for now, I will!

Now for the bad news. I have a few busy days coming up so I won't be able to update until the weekend or sometime around then. So sorry and please forgive me!

Thanks again for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Morning came way too fast in Santana's opinion. She was having the greatest dream about a certain blonde. She did not regret anything last night but it did cause her eyes to hurt after staring at a screen for so long before falling asleep.

Figuring it could not get much worse, she took out her phone and checked her text messages. She didn't have any new ones but saw all of the ones that were sent last night. A sigh of relief escaped her, thankful for evidence that last night wasn't something from her imagination. Instead of hopping out of bed right away to start on her 3 cups of coffee, she read through each text that was send and received.

Doing so had given Santana a reason to get out of bed, this time without the need for coffee. "I could get used to this. That shit'll stain my perfect white teeth." She said to herself, knowing how much she hated the caffeinated drink even though she usually needed it to survive her day.

As she got ready to leave for early morning cheerleading practice, Santana noticed that her face felt a little sore. After going through the possible causes, she realized that it was from smiling so much. In the time frame of last night and this morning, she had probably smiled more than she had in her entire life combined up to this point.

Just then, her phone rang. Santana picked it up but sighed when she saw a different blonde on the called id than the one she wanted.

"Hello Quinn. To what do I owe this early morning pleasure?"

"You should probably get a towel, I can hear the sarcasm dripping from your words." Quinn was used to their little banter but loved knowing not many people could keep up with Santana like she could.

"Noted. So what's up."

"Just wanted to make sure you're alive. Sam told me you went to your favorite place last night and saw your ex and left."

"Yea…" Santana had forgotten all about the other girl yesterday after she had started talking to Brittany. "I'm a tough bitch. Also, I think I found a new favorite place."

"Santana Lopez, what has gotten into you? I would have figured you would have became all psycho territorial and took someone out. I was half expecting a call from jail at anytime."

"Not worth it. Maybe if she was actually a good lay and that club hadn't been filled with creeps. I mean, Sam was there!"

Quinn decided not to comment on the first half. Both of them knew that Santana's ex was probably the closest she had even been to a real serious girlfriend. Also, the bouncers always kept the creeps out. "Be nice to Sam. He's trying to put himself out there."

Santana was about to reply when she hears a high pitched muffled voice in the background of Quinn's end of the call. "I want to talk to Tana!"

"Settle down, Ari. Here, talk to her." Quinn handed the phone to her daughter with an eye roll. The fact that her child adored Santana both amused and scared her to no end.

"Hey Aunt Tana!"

"Hey mini-me. How are you doing?"

"I'm tired. Also, Mom made me eat oatmeal this morning. Oatmeal is gross! I should have gone all Lima Heights on her!"

Santana had to control her laughter. Though it made her exceptionally proud, she knew that Ariana shouldn't talk about her mother like that. Mainly because Quinn was one of the few people she could stand and didn't want her mad all of the time. "Ari, you can't talk to your mom like that. Remember? I said only use it against bad people. Your mom may be a pain sometimes, but she loves you and you need to respect her."

"Fine." Ariana huffed, making Santana smile again.

"So, are you going to bring your guitar to my house tomorrow? I was hoping we could continue some more of our lessons."

"Sure! I am making all of the other kids jealous with my skills. They want an aunt like you!"

"Damn straight. That's cause I'm the coolest."

"We are at school now, though. I have to go! Bye Aunt Tana!"

"Bye Ari!"

Santana waited as Quinn and her daughter said their good byes and a car door slammed shut. "You know it scares me that you call her mini-me."

"It's not my fault she has great taste in role models."

"Whatever. I have to go. I'll talk to you later Santana."

"Bye Q."

Santana hung up her phone, walking straight onto the field after parking her car. Her squad had already been there for a half hour. Usually, she showed up on time and put them right to work. Today, she had been lazy and came late, knowing that Britney would have been directing stretches and exercises in her absence.

**I had a great time with you and I hope I can see you again soon! -Britt**

During practice, Santana pulled out her phone about every ten minutes to re-read that text. It was the first one Brittany had sent her last night that started a long conversation until both girls could barely hold their eyes open and fell asleep wearing huge smiles.

They had texted each other for at least an hour after Santana had received that first message. Both girls needed to sleep but neither was willing to stop the conversation until Brittany had to absolutely get some sleep if she wanted to be remotely awake for her audition tomorrow.

"Freeze! Britney! I saw that twitch in your arm! Don't make me put you back in that hospital just so I don't have to look at you!"

Santana smiled in satisfaction at the fear in the head cheerleader's face as she pulled out her phone once again to read some of the texts from Brittany. It was a front to make her look bored as she made the squad hold their various stances whenever she told them to freeze during the routine but the truth was she couldn't read them enough.

Right now, as she watched the teenagers for a second to look for any mistakes or quivers, she was a little mad at herself. Santana Lopez never got scared so why was she fighting the urge to text Brittany and ask how the audition went? It's not like she was scared of the possibility of it being a one night thing and the girl would never reply. Then again, maybe that was exactly it.

It still confused her to hell and back about why she was feeling so strongly towards this woman she barely knew when she had been through too many people to count without blinking. "Unfreeze!"

The cheerleaders continued their routine from that stop point until their coach once again put the megaphone to her mouth and screamed that dreaded word. "Freeze!"

* * *

><p>Brittany paced around her spacious apartment. It had never seemed so empty before. Rachel was gone a lot and she had grown used to it but why did it feel different now?<p>

The first thing she did after the audition was call the diva to see how she was doing and to tell her that everything went fine and now she was just waiting for a phone call that would tell her what the verdict was. They had spoken for a little while as Rachel had a small break between all of her obligations. Brittany had notified Rachel of Puck's questions last night and Finn's response. The diva had not been impressed with either of them, sighing in frustration at how they were acting.

After hanging up, she had went back to the text message she had been looking at way too much already today. It was the last one Santana had sent her before she had fallen into Latina filled dreams last night.

**Good luck tomorrow! From what I've seen of your little wiggles tonight, you'll ace it. Sweet Dreams Britt. xoxo - San**

No matter how many times she read it, it left the biggest grin on her face. Still, last night seemed more like a fantasy than anything. Do people really get along so well and feel so strongly without knowing the other person for more than a couple of hours? By her looks, Santana seemed like the kind of girl who could have anyone. She was flirting with Brittany a lot last night and that left little doubt that she had used her charm on many people before the blonde last night.

Brittany sighed, doubting that Santana would even genuinely care about how her audition went, no matter how badly the she wanted to tell the brunette. The girl had probably already moved on and was planning to find someone different tonight. It's not like they had texted each other all night because they were super close. Brittany was guessing that Santana just didn't have anyone else that night.

She had felt a little bit like a creeper when she had to explain how she had gotten Santana's number by calling her own phone and then put her own into the other girl's phone last night. It hadn't been something she planned on using but she was short on time and it was done on impulse. After not being able to stand it anymore, she had given in and texted the Latina. Oddly enough, the tan girl had just thanked her and moved on to a different subject.

The messages had been more than flirty and sometimes a little suggestive, making both girls blush. Both would send messages and eagerly stare at their respective cell phones, waiting for a reply. The blonde was very reluctant to end the conversation. Not wanting to fall asleep on Santana without replying, the blonde had said her farewell. It had crossed her mind to just skip the audition in favor of staying up to talk to the other girl but she had promised herself and Rachel that she wouldn't give up on her dancing dreams.

Still looking at the her phone, willing her hands to get the courage to text the girl that plagued her dreams last night, it suddenly rang in her hands. The caller id showed the one person that had been constantly on her mind.

* * *

><p>Santana was in her office. She had sent Britney to do some of her errands so she had free time to just think. Like she wasn't already thinking of Brittany enough, having a blonde head cheerleader who shared the same name, though the spelling was different, was a little more than awkward. The girls looked slightly similar, but Britney could never compare to Brittany's beauty in Santana's eyes.<p>

Unfortunately, the same predicament had caused a flood of unholy images of the dancing bartender. It made Santana a little wet as she thought of the girl as her head cheerleader instead of her current one. Oh the corruption that would happen there.

Santana realized that she had to work off some of her pent up energy. All of the fantasies that were happening in her mind were only getting her more worked up. She quickly changed into some workout clothes and went into the back room of her office where she kept some gym equipment. Her phone weighed down her pocket, kept close for "emergencies" when in reality she was hoping for any kind of contact from Brittany.

She headed straight for the punching bag, hoping to work of most of her steam there. Her phone bounced in her pocket, staying silent. The frustration of wanting to talk to the blonde but being too scared was seen as the bag took a beating. She let out noises of effort and frustration as she worked the bag.

There was a knock at the door before it opened to reveal the head cheerleader. She had some of Santana's dry cleaning in her hand and a confused look on her face.

"Britney! Don't just fucking walk in without an answer. I could have been changing clothes in here or something!"

"Sorry for interrupting your workout, Coach! I finished everything you asked me to do. I'll leave now!"

The blonde squeaked out another apology before quickly retreating and leaving her coach's office completely.

Santana stood there quietly trying to even out her breaths. Just as she was about to turn around and start on the treadmill, her phone rang out. As she looked at the caller id, her heart almost stopped.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Santana. It's me, Brittany."

Santana allowed herself a smile, completely enjoying the sound of the girl's voice. It concerned her a little when she realized the girl was breathing unevenly, though. However, knowing the girl had called her had given her newfound confidence. "Hey Britt. What's up? How did your audition go?"

Brittany beamed when she heard the other girl ask how her audition went. Now she knew the brunette had remembered last night and was actually curious. "I think it went great. I'm still waiting to hear back. I just called to ask if you were ok."

_Brittany had answered quickly upon seeing Santana's number on her screen. After saying hello and receiving no reply, she heard grunts, groans, and panting. She realized the brunette must have pocket dialed her or something. The blonde was thoroughly embarrassed. Her thoughts had quickly led to a less than clean situation of the brunette naked on her back in a bed with her fingers running teasingly over herself, causing the noises she was hearing. _

_After a closer listen, she heard a thumping noise. Brittany imagined the dull banging of the bed against the wall as the Latina thrust into herself, one hand palming her own breast. Her own breathing had already become heavy and when she heard Santana scream out her name, she almost lost it. Then she said something about not walking in without an answer and how she could have been changing clothes. A frightened voice answered quietly in the background about a workout but the dancer had lost interest._

_Brittany was slightly disappointed that she had been wrong about what Santana had been doing. She was too turned on to be disgusted at herself for thinking about the Latina in that way. It had happened in her dreams last night as well, but she could blame that on not being fully conscious. This had no real reason._

_She decided this was, however, the perfect excuse to call the other girl. Brittany hung up and dialed the pocket dialer right back._

Santana was confused. "What?"

Brittany blushed to herself, thinking of how to describe what had happened. Of course, she had to leave out her initial thoughts on the matter. "I think you pocket dialed me or something. I heard a lot of, um, noises. Then you yelled my name and it sounded like you were telling someone off."

It was Santana's turn to blush as she realized the blonde had heard her working out and then yelling. The confession also brought on some more questions, such as why Brittany would be breathing like that if she had only been listening to her punch at a bag. "Oh. I'm so sorry. I was working out and I had my phone in my gym shorts. It must have hit against my leg or something and dialed you. My head cheerleader, named Britney, had walked in and I was so worked up that I kind of lashed out."

"Well I'm glad you are ok."

"Thanks for checking. It was nice of you." If anybody who knew the cold blooded coach had heard that, they would have slapped themselves to wake up from this weird dream. Santana never thanked anybody for anything.

"No problem. I was really just looking for an excuse to talk to you."

There was a silence from both ends. Santana was internally celebrating and Brittany was internally freaking out because she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Their own inner thoughts were interrupted as once again, somebody knocked on Santana's door.

"Stay on the phone, Britt. I have to go see who is knocking."

"M'Kay." Brittany mumbled, still embarrassed.

Santana flung the door open, ready to tear into anybody who dared to interrupt the best phone conversation she has had in a long time.

"'Sup girl?"

"Mercedes?"

"Nope. We're at school, Coach. I'm Ms. Jones to you."

"None of your little glee club students or any of my infinitely more awesome cheerleaders are around. What do you want, Mercedes?"

The glee director sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. "I'm hungry. It's lunch time. We both have free period next hour. Let's hit up the new Breadstix."

Santana couldn't deny Breadstix, so she agreed to meet the other girl in ten minutes so she could shower in her personal bathroom and change. After Mercedes left, she closed and locked the door and went to sit down on the weight lifting bench.

"Sorry, my friend wanted to go out to lunch with me."

"Sounds like fun. I'll let you go because I almost fell asleep when you were talking to your friend. I need a nap if I want to be functional to mix good drinks tonight."

"So you will be working again tonight?"

"Yea. I have to make money somehow."

"Maybe I'll see you there." Santana decided to part on a flirty note. "Bye Britt!" She hung up before she could get a reply.

Santana hopped in the shower and began to sing. Suddenly, her day was a lot better.

Meanwhile, Brittany fell asleep with a smile on her face for the second time in a row.

* * *

><p>A*N - So I may have managed to quickly sneak on here to post for you awesome readers really quick (and earlier than I thought I would). For those who were wondering and asked, my age is now 18 as of last week so yay for that!<p>

Many hugs to all of you who have been reading and extra ones for those who review/favorite/alert both me and the story. I also love seeing when somebody has r/f/a this story and then I see them pop up again r/f some of my other stories. You all make me smile as much as Rachel when somebody mentions show tunes so thanks for that!


	4. Chapter 4

"You like her!"

"Do not!"

"Santana, you have looked at your phone every fifteen damn minutes. I have actually had a couple breadsticks while you were too busy reading text messages. I NEVER get any breadsticks because a certain someone likes to shove as many as she can into her purse and eat all of the rest!"

"So you got to eat some sticks, why question it?"

"I am just wondering where my best friend went. Usually when I hear you talk about a girl that your dating, it's all inappropriate sex stories and-"

"We are not dating!" Santana was growing tired of Mercedes' questions and accusatory stares. She did not like Brittany in that way, the girl was just super hot, right? Oddly enough though, it gave the Latina a sinking feeling at having to admit that she wasn't dating the blonde beauty.

"So the lovey dovey texts and phone calls are just friendly?"

"Weezy, if you don't stop all of this talk, I will gets my Lima Heights on."

"Oh hell to the no. I would never let you mess up my sexy ass. Defensive much, though?"

"Why don't we talk about your dating life? Or lack there of?"

"One, you are avoiding the subject. Two, I get dates. Three, none of them have been able to handle all of this." Mercedes indicated to herself with a sweep of her body with her hand.

Their food arrived and both girls sat in silence for a bit while they started to eat. Mercedes counted in her head how many times the Latina looked over at her phone. She hadn't actually checked it since the earlier comment about it.

"Ok, that's fifty times. What you are doing is like watching water boil. Damn girl, you've got it bad. Why don't you just call her and ask her out?"

Santana glared at her friend. "I don't like her." She keep insisting on this.

"Well then, let's go out to your favorite club. Find me a man and you a lady who I won't need to hear about tomorrow."

"No." That answer was way to quick. "Uhh…the club burned out. It's a bunch of sluts and pervs now."

"Isn't it always?"

Mercedes received no answer. Santana avoided looking at her friend and being caught in her lie.

"Fine, let's go to that new bar that you met mystery girl at."

Santana wanted to go there, she knew Brittany was working. However, did she want to bring her friend there? It's not like she was dating the bartender so maybe if she brought her it wouldn't seem like she was coming just for the blonde. Would Brittany even talk to her if she was with Mercedes?

"Hellooooo. Earth to Satan."

Santana shook her head, trying to put the pretty girl out of her mind.

"Yea, Sure. Let's go to the bar."

"Good. Is your girl going to be working?"

"I don't know." Santana shrugged her shoulders and stuffed some of her pasta into her mouth, hoping not to get caught in yet another lie.

"Liar." Shit. "She is, isn't she?"

Santana didn't say anything more. It was useless to lie to the girl who knew her best, besides Quinn.

"So she is. Are you going to tell me about her? All I know so far is that she makes you majorly obsessive with your phone. Did she sent you naked pictures or something?"

It was just a joke but that last question caused Santana's eyes to pop almost out of her head and she choked on her food a little. Mercedes laughed at the reaction she had gotten from the other brunette. "I was kidding. Easy girl."

Santana drank some of her water while the other girl kept chuckling.

After a few minutes, they both managed to calm down and get a hold of themselves.

"She's really pretty and just adorable. Not to mention she makes a killer drink." Santana didn't know where that came from, but to be honest, she had wanted to gush about her crush like she was thirteen all over again. Of course, back then it had been fake crushes on boys that she didn't really like but used anyways.

"A hot dancer who knows her way around alcohol. Yea, you are in love."

"I did NOT say anything about love."

"You didn't have to. Your eyes said it for you." Mercedes smiled when she saw the panic in the other girl's eyes at having been read so easily. Santana hid it well but the two knew each other too well.

"Ok that was really sappy. I am not an open book."

Just then a phone rang. Even though it wasn't her usual ringtone, Santana grabbed her phone in record time. Mercedes laughed at the other girl's antics before letting her down.

"It was my phone Ms. I'm-not-in-total-love. I set an alarm so we wouldn't be late getting back to school.

"I hate you so much right now. Wipe that smirk off of your face."

"Can't. Learned it from the best bitch I know." Mercedes pointed at the other girl.

Santana had to laugh at that. They quickly paid and left to head back to the school.

* * *

><p>Brittany was slowly waking up. Her quick nap ended up being a few hours and it was already time for her to slowly start getting ready for work.<p>

She had made her way into the kitchen to get some juice from the fridge when she heard the door bell ring.

Wearing her hair in a messy bun, sweatpants, and a too-large shirt, she shuffled to the door. Looking through the peep hole, she saw Tina. Quickly opening the door, she pulled the girl into a tight hug and then went into the apartment.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Tina sighed. "Just some time away from Artie. He told me all about he is going to change and I really want to believe him but I've heard it all before."

Brittany nodded sympathetically. "You can stay here. I know I've said it before but I just want to remind you."

"It might be good for me. Just for a few days. I always threaten to leave but I never really do."

"Well, I've got to ready to work. Feel free to watch t.v. or something."

Tina nods in understanding and Brittany gets up to take a shower. In the shower, she starts to think about Tina and Artie a little more. It was a sad thing to see this couple struggle. It was usually Artie's fault, too. He didn't respect women in the way that he should. He had his soft moments, but lately those seemed to be mostly for show.

After a few memories of the times that this had happened previously, Brittany decided to focus on happier things. At her audition today, she had managed to remember all of her moves and perform them flawlessly. Despite her nerves and how tired she was, the audition went great. Even if she didn't get the part, she had received an offer to teach a few dances at a local elementary school.

Brittany thought about the pride she felt for Rachel. The tiny singer had done so well and truly lived up to her dreams. The blonde was always thankful that the diva was so successful. Rachel had been so depressed when she had continuously been turned down for lead roles and only landed bit parts. Eventually, somebody had noticed her and gotten her a lead role and they just kept coming after that. Being best friends with the star could be hard, but Brittany was protective over her friend as the girl had stuck up for her so many times in high school. That was why every time Puck and Finn tried to get Brittany to help them date her or "get with her" she turned them away.

The last thing that she thought of as she slowly ended her shower, was Santana. "_Maybe I'll see you there." _Had Santana just been flirty or was she really going to come again tonight? Brittany wanted to see the girl she couldn't get out of her mind. She was always a sucker for those romantic movies with love at first sight and opposites attracting and everything but had given up on the thought of finding those herself. Her parents were divorced and her sister was in a horrible relationship with a guy who just used her for sex and money. Therefore, she could only hope for a glimpse of the other girl and not a fairytale love story. In high school, she would have believed in all of the cheesy stuff but she wasn't as naïve anymore.

Out of the shower and with a towel wrapped around her, Brittany went into her room and started to look through her closet for an outfit. Regardless of whether Santana was coming or not (well, that's what she told herself), she was going to look good. Skinny jeans and fuck-me heels were paired together to make her ass look great. She knew that those would put her at the perfect height for anybody (read: Santana) sitting at the bar to check her out better. An asymmetrical top that accentuated her chest would top off the outfit. Brittany put on her favorite heart locket. It was given to her by her grandfather, the person she was closest with while she grew up. Light, natural make-up and rockstar messy hair, she was finally finished.

Going back into the kitchen, she passed through the living room where Tina was sitting on the couch.

"Damn! Who are you meeting with tonight? Is it that girl from last night that you left with?"

"No." She answered a little too quickly. "Just felt like dressing up." She gave a casual shrug, hoping that it was enough to placate her friend.

"I will make sure not to stand to close to you tonight. I may not be looking for a date but it would be nice to get somewhat noticed. That would never happen next to you."

"You think so?" Brittany gave a proud, yet shy smile.

"Definitely. You ready to go?"

"Yea, just let me grab my purse and phone."

* * *

><p>Sam was sitting on the couch, trying to decide whether he should call a friend and watch an old football game or go out and try his best at getting a date. The latter seemed a little sad since his confidence was shot after coming up empty handed yesterday. His friends made fun of him for his lack of dates, saying he was still too hung up on Quinn. However, they had been apart for years and were just friends now. Quinn had plenty of dates since they've been together so he should get some too, right?<p>

Just then his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sam, it's Mercedes."

"Oh hi. What's up?"

"Are you busy tonight?"

Was this girl going to ask him on a date? He knew that she was best friends with Quinn and that would probably be weird. That's why he had never considered it before, but maybe now…

"No."

"Great! Can you watch Ariana? I want Quinn to come out and watch as Satan tries to act like she's not totally in love with this bartender girl."

Sam was admittedly disappointed. He actually liked Mercedes and would have liked to take her out sometime. Then his spirits picked up again as he thought of spending time with his little girl.

"Sure. Do I need to pick her up?"

"That'd be good. I'm going to tell Quinn first though so I'll text you when."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye Sam."

He sat and watched some t.v. for a bit. He had gotten the text from Mercedes about when to pick up Ariana. He texted Quinn to ask if she had eaten yet and she just replied with yes, but she's always hungry. Sam decided to order a pizza once he brought his daughter back and set about the house to find his keys.

When he picked up the little girl, Quinn was just waiting to leave for Santana's. Ariana screamed with excitement when she saw him and ran up to him yelling out "Daddy!"

"Ari!" He opened his arms so the little girl had a place to jump into and when she did her spun her around. Quinn smiled when she saw this, happy her daughter had a loving father unlike herself. Ariana acted like a kid whenever she was around him. Otherwise, she was usually a mini Santana, something that Quinn is hoping is just a phase.

"I'll pick her up tomorrow and take her to school. Thanks for this, Sam."

"Hey, I can't say no to more time with this girl." He tickled the girl who laughed loudly.

"Daddy! Aunt Tana is going to teach me more guitar!"

"I'm glad the one I gave you is being put to good use! How about we go back to my place and we will order some pizza and watch some movies or something?"

"Yes! Bye Momma!"

"Bye Sweetie!"

* * *

><p>"She choked on her food?" Quinn could barely speak through her laughter.<p>

"Yes! I thought I was going to have to poke her eyes back in, too!"

"Hardy fucking har, bitches. I will kick your asses out of this vehicle and make you take the bus." Santana was grumpy. She had been listening to her two supposed friends talk about her schoolgirl-esque fumbling and _laughing_.

"I'm sorry." Quinn tried to wipe all of her tears of laughter away. "Tell us what happened."

Santana reluctantly told them the whole story of last night. The crappy beginning to seeing ex-bitch in the club. She told them about meeting Puck and then talking to Brittany and even told them about the drive home.

"So did you get some?"

"Quinn!"

"What Mercedes? It's a valid question. You were there when she got drunk on her birthday and relived too many of her one night stands and yelled out about how she was the queen of hook-ups then cried when she didn't have a crown."

"Is it "make Santana look like a dumbass" day?"

"No. It just seems that way because you do it to us every other day."

"Quinn's got a point. Sorry, Santana, it's just karma."

Quinn nodded in approval of Mercedes' comment. "So did you?"

Santana sighed, knowing that her blonde bestie wouldn't give up until she had answers. The only bad thing about the three group of friends was how stubborn each of them were. Somehow, instead of tearing them apart, it actually worked for them. "No. I got a hug and kiss on the cheek." She mumbled the last part.

Mercedes went back to howling with laughter. Quinn tried to control hers as she looked towards Santana again. "I'm sorry?" She giggled a little. "I didn't catch what you said after 'No.'"

"Quinn Fabray I will make sure you never eat bacon again if you don't drop this."

"You can't do that. Just tell me what you said. I'd really like to know."

"You heard me!"

Quinn relented, knowing the night wouldn't be half as fun if Santana was too pissed off. "Ok, fine."

"By the way, if you think that your date goes well tomorrow and I'm not doing the same thing that you are doing to me right now, you're wrong!"

"So this is a date?"

Mercedes leaned forward from her place in the backseat, wanting to see her friend's reaction.

"N-no!"

"You stuttered!"

"Shut up! It's not a date. She doesn't even know I'm coming." Santana tried to hide the slight sadness in her voice.

"Oh so that's why it took you forever to get ready tonight. You want to surprise her with your hotness."

"No, Mercedes. I just like looking fine as hell, thank you very much!"

Santana did look fine. She had put on a sexy strapless dress that had just enough material to cover her up and show plenty of skin at the same time. The stilettos she wore gave her extra height and made her ass look great. Her favorite jacket topped off her outfit. Her hair was sexed up and she knew she was looking fantastic. The other two didn't have to know that it was for Brittany. If the blonde wasn't interested anymore, she was hoping this would help change her mind.

Finally pulling up to the bar, Santana was relieved at being able to go in and get some alcohol into her system. It would immensely help with her confused thoughts and having to deal with her friends. Quinn volunteered to be the DD so Santana could drink plenty more than she had last night. This meant plenty of chances to go up and ask for Brittany's special drink, which was her new favorite.

The three girls did a quick check of each other to make sure they each looked good. Santana practically pushed them inside, feigning eagerness to get her drink on but really excited to see the object of her confusion.

Brown eyes locked with blue as soon as Santana stepped inside. Both girls' jaws dropped when they raked their eyes over each other. They each quickly decided the other was definitely the sexiest thing they had ever seen. Quinn snapped Santana out of it and dragged her to a table that was closest to the bar without actually sitting at the bar.

"If that's her, even I have to say good work, Satan." Mercedes approved.

"Yea. If you don't get up on that, I might have to step in."

Quinn laughed as Santana gave her a glare that no longer had effect on her anymore.

The Latina volunteered to get the drinks, of course. Both of her friends rolled their eyes at each other, but actually enjoyed seeing the third girl like this. They gave their drink orders and insisted Santana was paying, too. The girl grumbled but agreed, just wanting to get to the bar already.

Brittany had turned around and fiddled with bottles and wiped them down, trying to avoid looking at the hottest sight she had ever seen. She almost dropped a bottle when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hey there stranger, remember me?"

* * *

><p>A*N - Hey amazing readers! I love the feedback I'm getting! You guys still never fail to make my day.<p>

I did want to put in a little note here about possibly getting into the other characters a little more than I usually do kind of like how I did with Sam this chapter. The main focus would still be Brittany and Santana, of course, but maybe a little bit more (not whole chapters) with the separate lives of the others, too. It's something I haven't done much before but I would be willing to try. Let me know if you like that idea or not or just want to see a smidge more of a certain character or what? Mmmtay? Otay!


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey there stranger, remember me?"

Brittany twirled around quite gracefully considering how tall her heels were.

"Santana! I didn't know you were coming tonight. I know you said you might but-"

Brittany cut herself off, noticing that Santana wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying. Instead, the other girl was hungrily looking her up and down.

Unconsciously licking her lips, she finally looked back up to Brittany's face, noticing the silence. Santana blushed sheepishly, obviously realizing she had been caught checking out the dancer. Brittany just raised an eyebrow in response and gave a small smirk.

"I need two duck in the hats and a regular coke, please."

"Two duck in the hats and a coke?"

"Uh yea. I'm with a couple of friends." Santana pointed over to the two who were obviously watching their conversation. Mercedes and Quinn both looked in opposite directions, trying to look nonchalant even though they knew they had been caught.

"Oh, right. I'll, um, get that for you." Brittany turned around and started making the drinks. She felt a little bad that she had been so distracted by how hot Santana looked, she didn't even realize the girl had brought friends along this time. What was she supposed to do now? Did Santana bring them as an excuse not to talk to her? Then again, the first words the girl had said were already very flirty. Hopefully, things wouldn't be all that complicated and she would still get some time with her current crush.

The dancer again turned with plenty of grace, presenting the two alcoholic drinks. Santana smiled and Brittany winked as she set them down. "Can or glass for the Coke?"

"Um…just go with a can. Quinn can suck it up if she doesn't like it."

"Here you go." Brittany produced the can from behind the bar with a flourish. "If she decides on a glass just bring it back, I wouldn't mind."

"Will do." Santana slaps some money down and winks as she turns around, managing to balance all three drinks in her hands. _Please don't let me drop anything and look stupid in front of Brittany. Please. Q better quit smirking and Weezy needs to stop giggling. I'm not afraid to bust out my moves. Maybe that will impress Britt…_

"It's about time!" Mercedes exclaimed, already twirling the straw towards her mouth as if she had been dehydrated.

"No kidding. I thought I was going to have to break up some eye-sex for a while there."

"Shut up. I have no idea why I'm friends with you, you two are insufferable!"

"Oh Santana, it's because no one else can put up with your bitchy attitude!" Quinn smiled her sweetest smile just to piss the girl off more. She had never been more glad that Mercedes had drug her out tonight.

"Don't look now, Satan. Your girl apparently just can't take her eyes off of you tonight."

Mercedes had noticed the bartender had watched Santana walk away, sit down, and now just hang out with her and Quinn. If a customer came up, the blue eyes would flick over every chance they got. _Girl got it bad._ Mercedes had _also_ noticed Santana concentrating on not looking at the girl behind the bar. _Make that, girls got it bad._

Of course, now that Mercedes had said that, Santana was thanking everybody in and out of this world. She had hoped with all her heart, not that she wanted anyone to know, that this girl had felt the same inexplicable connection that she had. As everybody said, it wasn't like her to get caught up on one person for more than just sex. Now it was happening and Santana was starting to let the wariness go and just embrace it a little more. Maybe something could happen.

Pretty soon, a waitress came up to check on their table. Mercedes and Quinn had been busy checking out the bar from where they sat. They had observed the way everyone acted and what they did. Santana had been trying desperately not to turn and stare at the blonde. Because of all this, nobody needed a refill yet since nobody had really dove into their drinks too much.

"Well my name is Tina so if you need anything, just call." Tina turned to Mercedes. "By the way, I have to say that I love your shoes."

"Thank you. You just became my new favorite waitress ever. I know I have style and I love when people notice it."

Tina smiled in response and walked over to Brittany, hoping to take a quick break. "Hey Britt. What's up?" Brittany didn't respond. Tina noticed that she was zoned out and accidentally staring at the table she just came from. "Earth to Brittany!" She waved her hand in front of her friend's face, finally getting her attention. "If you keep zoning out, they are going to get creeped out."

Brittany mentally smacked herself, "Oh, the girls weren't looking at me funny, were they?" She meant the other two with Santana. Since that particular person had been the one she was staring at, she would have known if she was looking back. Except maybe when she couldn't stop admiring the brunette's tight dress.

"No. They seem like cool people though. Still, haven't you ever heard it's rude to stare?"

Brittany had heard that before. She needed to cool off. Puck, who was once again working and talking to Finn a ways down the bar, saw the girl trying to get his attention.

"Sup?" He called out. It didn't sound throughout the bar but the closest tables heard it as did anybody sitting on the stools.

"I need a smoke break."

Puck nodded his understanding as Brittany walked out of the place. She didn't even smoke, but that was her code for I seriously need some fresh air. Most of the actual smokers at the bar went to the side where a small area was set up for that. Instead of going over there and inhaling all of the nasty stuff she knew came with the smoke, she sat on one of the benches in front of the building next door. It was a small real estate office and she had no idea why they had benches outside but she put them to use.

Taking a few deep breathes, Brittany was thankful for a nice night out. It was a little chilly, though not anything she couldn't handle. Sitting alone, she tried to clear her head. Unfortunately, the only image that would come up was Santana in her outfit tonight. That only served to send heat through her body and did nothing to give her a reprieve.

Santana had heard the exchange between Puck and Brittany and after a few minutes she got up as well.

"Where are you going?" Quinn asked, although she already had a good idea.

"I need a smoke break." Santana just smiled as she quoted Brittany.

"You don't smoke." Mercedes gave her a knowing smile.

"I might have to start…"

Santana didn't leave a chance for the other two to reply to her. Walking outside, she looked around for the blonde. Hearing voices to the side of the building, she moved over there. Taking a quick look to the group gathered, she didn't see the girl she was looking for and gave a sigh. Turning back around, she looked everywhere but was distracted when she heard a flower pot next door cough. _Well, that's unusual._ Santana went over to investigate and found the object of her tiny quest sitting behind said flower pot.

"Here I thought I was going to be rich, discovering a coughing plant."

Brittany was startled. She had been sitting with her eyes closed breathing in the fresh air. Instead of fighting the images of Santana that were filling her mind, she had embraced them. Now, opening her eyes to find the very person who had been invading her mind was a shock, but not exactly unwelcome.

"Santana! Are you stalking me now?" Brittany had meant it playfully and had to laugh at the panicked look she had received.

"No! I just saw you come out here and thought I'd follow you and ask if you wanted some company."

"I'm not great with words all of the time. Even so, I think that is pretty much the definition of stalking. Unless Lord Tubbington got a restraining order on Charity for the wrong reason."

Now Santana was embarrassed, confused, and crushing a little more all thanks to Brittany. She had only met this adorable person yesterday and yet she had managed to bring out more of Santana's emotions than she had even known she had.

"I'm sorry. I can go back inside if I freak you out or something." _Wow, smooth Lopez._

"No. I like it. It's kind of cute." Brittany smiled a genuine smile at Santana.

The brunette sat down next to her blonde counterpart, who shivered as their arms touched. Not knowing exactly the reason, she just turned and asked. "You cold?"

Before Brittany even had a chance to answer, Santana was wrapping her jacket around the her shoulders. "Thanks." She blushed, secretly loving the thought of _Santana's_ jacket warming her, faintly smelling coconut. Then, she noticed the dress she had been staring at half the night was strapless. "What about you? Aren't you cold."

"Please. I can totally take on this weather. Give me some badass credit here."

Brittany giggled at the answer she had received. Still, she felt bad for taking the girl's source of warmth so she tried to think of a solution.

"I know!" Santana gave a puzzled look at the sudden outburst from her companion.

Brittany didn't bother explaining. Instead she pulled the stunned girl into her arms and laid her head on her shoulder. "Body heat!"

Santana thought it was weird to be this close to the blonde already but she definitely wasn't going to complain. It felt nice to be held close in Brittany's arms. She feels more than hears a muffled voice against the bare skin of her shoulder.

"What?"

Brittany lifts her mouth away from the tan shoulder reluctantly. She had been enjoying the full force smell of coconut that radiated from the girl's body. "How are your friends?"

"They're good. Although a little mean."

Brittany hated hearing about anybody being mean. "Why are they mean?"

"Because they're my friends." Santana didn't want to lie but she wasn't telling the exact truth either. Her friends were being mean but they were doing it out of love for her. It would be more than awkward to explain to Brittany that the reason they were mean was because the dancer had effectively turned her into a gushing girl just playing bad ass. "How's your night going?"

Brittany put her head back on Santana's shoulder but faced toward the street so she could be heard. "Better." She said with a smile. "Before I came out here, I was a little bored. All of the people at the bar are down by Puck. They are only coming up to me when they actually need something. I shouldn't have even came to work today."

"But then you would be able to see me!" Santana used a flirty eyebrow wiggle to enhance the cheesiness of what she had just said. Brittany just smiled wider and agreed. "So true!"

"So, you can be done working, like now?"

"I suppose so. I don't have anything else to do, though."

"Why don't you clock out and then come sit and talk with me and my friends. Or you can stay 'working' and come sit with us and be our special bartender so I can keep getting my 'duck in the hat' on." Santana would just take the girl out herself but she knew how much shit she would get for dragging Quinn and Mercedes out just to ditch them before the night even really started.

"I'll take the second option, please. Puck won't notice either way and this way I make money." Brittany reluctantly got let go of the girl in her arms, being sure to take a quick secretive sniff before pulling away. Santana practically sprung up from the bench, only to turn around and offer her hand with a small bow. "M'lady."

Brittany just laughed and took the offered hand and led the way back inside.

* * *

><p>While the two had been having their time outside, Quinn and Mercedes were making a bet. Tina had even come to check on drinks and ended up joining in.<p>

"So, are they going to come in all lovey-dovey girlfriend like or are they going to be awkward about it." Mercedes asked the other two.

"Santana is totally a teenager again. I bet she'll pull cheesy lines and gestures and make it awkward." Quinn predicted.

"No, I think they'll come in looking like they are together. Brittany would only adore the cheesy lines more." Tina said.

"It's nice to have someone who knows Brittany in this. I like you, Tina, you have given us a little more insight on this mysterious girl we've heard only snippets about."

Tina smiled at Mercedes. "Hey, I'm just glad to help in anyway I can. Brittany's important to me and it looks I might be seeing your friend a little more. This is already two nights in a row."

The three girls smiled knowingly at each other. Then they noticed the two girls walk in, holding hands and smiling like they've won the lottery. Quinn grumbled as she handed five dollars over to Tina as the two walked up to the table.

"Quinn, Mercedes," Santana quickly looked at Tina but didn't know what to say, so she continued. "this is Brittany. Britt, this is Quinn and Mercedes, my best friends."

"Aww Santana, you are so sweet! Hello Brittany, I'm Quinn." Quinn shot a smirk to Santana who grumbled and shook Brittany's hand.

"I know, Santana told me." Brittany was just stating the obvious because she didn't see why that needed repeating but the other three girls had to stifle their laughs. Brittany gave them a confused look but shook it off. "Hi Mercedes."

"Hey Brittany."

"Tina, what are you doing here?"

"I was just talking to Quinn and Mercedes. We had some common ground." She smiled at the hands that were still attached, fingers intertwined.

"Okaaaaay." Brittany drew out the word, not really understanding what Tina meant until she followed her line of vision to her hand still tightly clasped to Santana's. Without thinking, she squeezed it tighter, bring a smile to the other girl's face.

"Tina, this is Santana, by the way. Santana, Tina."

The girls nodded at each other. "Nice to meet you, Tina."

"You too."

There was a slightly awkward silence before Santana finally broke it. "So, do you guys mind if Brittany joins us for awhile?"

"Only if Tina can!"

Everybody agreed and pulled up an extra chair for Tina, who clocked out for a small break. It was lucky that the bar wasn't as busy as usual. Puck always had too many waitresses around anyways. He said it was in case they did get busy but everybody guessed it was really because he liked looking studly.

Just as they were about to sit down and get comfortable, a whistle blew. Mercedes and Quinn jumped a little and Tina grinned triumphantly, having clocked out just in time to miss it. Brittany smiled and wriggled a little in her seat with anticipation. Santana grinned when she noticed but tried to hide it quickly when she saw her two best friends smirking at her.

Everybody heard a remix of Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night" start to play. They were all a little surprised when Brittany suddenly jumped up and moved to a more open space. She started dancing and immediately stole half of the crowd's attention.

Brittany had done it on impulse, just like most things she did. It was too tempting. She knew she looked hot tonight since Santana kept sneaking glances at her, not to mention half of the bar hitting on her when she came to work. She also knew she was great at dancing. It was mainly just showing off for Santana but it also gave her a chance to free some of her excited energy.

Santana felt a rush of heat go over her body once again. She felt a little tingly as she watched the blonde dance. Everybody else faded away until it was only Brittany there. Santana longed to reach out and touch her or join her but didn't want to ruin the amazing spectacle before her.

The regulars who knew Brittany were cheering out her name. Quinn and Mercedes were stunned by the skills they saw and Tina just cheered out with everyone else.

"That's my best friend!" Tina yelled loudly, making the other three at the table laugh.

When the song finally quieted, the ending cheers were even louder than usual with calls of "Encore!" and "More!" being loudly mixed in. Brittany gave a small shy wave to everybody before sitting down. She moved her chair close to Santana, who didn't mind at all, and sat down to fan herself a bit. "That was fun."

"That was hot." It was out of Santana's mouth before she could catch it. _Oops. Fucking word vomit._ There was a small silence. Santana looked away embarrassed while Quinn, Mercedes, and Tina laughed loudly. Brittany gave a proud smirk and sneakily put her hand on Santana's thigh under the table, making Santana's breath catch.

She leaned over to Santana's ear while the other three were looking at each other and laughing still. "Thanks. I thought I'd show you a taste of what I could do." Brittany brushed her lips against the girl's ear as she spoke.

_Shit. This girl is sexy and good and I'm just a bumbling idiot. _Santana shivered at the electric touch Brittany had. _Nope. Definitely never felt like this with anyone before._

"Brittany!" Puck had walked up to the table, sporting a wide smile on his face.

"Hey Puck. What's up?"

"Spontaneous dance, huh?" He sent a wink to Santana, knowing the dance was most likely for her benefit. "You should do it more often. I swear I just sold more beers after that than I had for the past hour! People's mouths must of went dry."

Brittany was back to being bashful. It was one thing to show off with only Santana in mind but another thing when she remembered that a roomful of people had also been able to see her. For some reason, the brunette made her feel confident and hot but other people made her nervous.

"I don't think that's going to be a regular thing, Puck. It was just for fun."

"I hope you have more _fun_," Again, he looked at Santana. "more often."

"Round of drinks on me! What would you ladies like?" Puck looked up at the other girls now and noticed Quinn and Mercedes. He moved around to be behind them and put his arms around their shoulders. "Hello ladies, I am Noah Puckerman. You can call me Puck. I am at your service. _Whatever_ your needs may be."

"I need a coke." Quinn answered with a bat of her eyelashes. When that girl wanted to, she could flirt her ass off.

"I wantttt," Mercedes took a second to look at Puck as if sizing him up. "a surprise."

"Adventurous." Puck winked. "Tina? Britt? Sexy?"

"Nothing, Puck. Still have to work later." Tina replied.

"Nope, you're off now. The other girls can handle it. Just don't tell them you and Britt are my favorites."

"Well in that case, I'll have whatever you get Mercedes."

Puck smiled and nodded, then turned to Brittany. "Britt?"

Brittany was mad at Puck. She had no claim to Santana but she still wanted to punch him for calling her Sexy. "Nothing."

Before he could ask Santana again, she interrupted him. "Britt has me covered." She reached over and squeezed Brittany's thigh.

Puck put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll get the other three. Be back soon." He sent a wink to Quinn and Mercedes this time.

The other three started a conversation again when he left and Brittany turned to Santana. "Did you want something else?" She nodded to the half finished drink on the table.

"No. I just want to actually remember tonight." Santana smiled at Brittany.

The girls all chatted for awhile about anything and everything. The subject of significant others was a little awkward when it came up. Tina explained her situation with Artie while the others gave sympathetic nods. Quinn gushed about her date tomorrow. Mercedes explained her single but waiting for them to come to her dating plan. Both Santana and Brittany had just simply said single and grinned goofily at each other, making the others roll their eyes and smile.

Quinn's phone rang and she excused herself to answer it, saying it was Sam. While she was gone Mercedes and Santana explained the situation about who Sam was and about Ariana. Brittany loved how Santana went on and on about how adorable Ariana was.

They kept talking until Quinn looked back looking a little worried.

"Um. I have to go, Ariana's sick. Sam said it wasn't too bad but she is crying to be at home in her own room with Mommy. I can get a cab. I'll see you guys later?"

Santana was torn. She wanted to spend more time with Brittany but if Ariana was sick she would get Quinn there and home faster than any cab would.

"I'll take you, Quinn. I'm sorry, Brittany. I have to go."

"I heard the way you talked about her, San. It's more than ok. Go."

"Can I call you sometime?" _Way to go back to Nervous Nelly._

"Not just pocket dial me?" Brittany laughed a little.

"No. This time on purpose."

"Of course. Text me later though and let me know how she's doing."

Santana smiled widely. "Will do. Ready guys?"

"Actually, I talked to Tina and I'm going to stay here. I'll get a cab home." Mercedes answered.

"I'm ready. Thanks Santana." Quinn had already gathered her stuff.

"Bye Britt." Santana took a bold move and hugged the girl. Deciding she wasn't going to end on a totally lame note she whispered in the girl's ear, brushing her lips against it gently. "You look _so _hot tonight. Especially when you danced." She pulled away and quickly brought the girl in for a kiss.

Brittany gasped before their lips touched, realizing Santana's intent. She had been blushing at the whispered words but quickly snapped back into it. Santana was kissing her pretty deeply for being in the middle of a bar with a waiting friend. There were no insistent tongues looking for access, just lips moving smoothly against each other. Quinn cleared her throat a little and Santana slowly pulled away. Brittany blinked open her eyes and smiled widely. Santana grinned back before whispering "Bye" and then she practically ran out of the door to catch up to Quinn who had started walking out already.

* * *

><p>A*N - So. I was happy to see the feedback you guys left for me. I love hearing your opinions! It seemed most people wanted to stick with Brittana with a tiny helping of side characters. That was my plan so I'm glad we're on the same page.<p>

If anything about this story confuses you in any way, shape or form, just send me a message or something and let me know. I will explain away!

Lastly, I saw the tumblr thingy about not using "Latina" to describe Santana so much in stories. I don't think she would mind personally because it seems like something she is proud of and wouldn't mind being attached to it. However, since it does upset some people I will try to use it less but old habits die hard. Work with me, here! I won't go and change anything in my past stories, but I'm trying at least! (if you would like to hear more on my lengthy rant I have about this, feel free to ask J )

Thanks for reading, I appreciate you all to no end!


	6. Chapter 6

Sam was leading Ariana out of the bathroom. The young girl had an upset stomach.

When she had arrived at Sam's place, the two immediately started to try and decide what they should do. Ariana suggested playing Wii, a favorite of hers. Sam agreed and they decided to go with the classic that was Wii Sports. After many games, Sam's arm was starting to ache, not being able to keep up with his energetic daughter. He watched for a bit as she played on her own, putting her whole body into the various motions. Watching Ariana play the boxing game was probably the funniest thing he had seen in a while. Her little fists pumped with plenty of speed but her face was screwed up in intense concentration. Her tongue was poking out in the most adorable of ways.

After Ariana finally became bored, Sam suggested a movie and pizza, hoping to wind down for the night now. The girl ran to her backpack that she had brought with and pulled out _Mulan._ Sam should have seen this coming. He happened to know, through Quinn of course, that Santana's favorite animated movie was the same one. Come to think of it, that's probably why it was his daughter's favorite.

Santana may have disregarded the speed limit, stop signs, and several other traffic laws to get to Sam's house in record time. Most of the reckless driving was to get to Ariana as fast as possible but a small portion of it was the adrenaline she was feeling from bolding kissing Brittany and not getting slapped or anything bad like that. Quinn was silently thankful, although a little afraid for her life. They both hurried up the walkway to Sam's front door and walked in, knowing he never locked it until he went to sleep.

"Ari!" Quinn called as soon as she got the door open.

Both Quinn and Santana could barely hear the faint groan of "Mommy!" coming from the living room. They both rushed in and saw the small girl laying on the couch clutching her stomach. Sam was sitting next to her looking down at his daughter with a sad face as he rubbed her back to soothe her a little bit. There was an old ice cream pail sitting on the floor.

Both of the women slowly walked up and Quinn got on her knees to be at eye level with her daughter. She reached out a hand to run through the blonde hair that reflected her parents'. "How are you feeling sweetie?"

"Not so good." groaned Ariana.

Quinn looked up to Sam for a further explanation.

"We were eating pizza and I went to use the bathroom. I came back and she had a chair by the fridge and she was eating ice cream from the freezer. Strawberry ice cream." Sam looked apologetic. He felt bad for underestimating his little girl's ability to get into his freezer.

Quinn knew it wasn't something that Sam had meant to happen so she quickly forgave him. She turned back to her daughter and wanted to be mad at her for doing things she knows she shouldn't, but those hazel eyes so much like her own looked back filled with sadness. "Ari, you know that anything strawberry flavored doesn't agree with your stomach. You can't have that kind of ice cream. You shouldn't have done that and now you have to deal with the consequences."

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I just like it so much!"

Santana had to laugh a little at the young girl. Sometimes, that kid was too adorable for her own good.

"Auntie Tana?"

"Yes?" Santana took Quinn's place as the mother gathered up the scattered belongings that Ariana had brought over. She took the tiny hand in her own and rubbed it with her thumb, hoping to soothe the girl.

Sam got up to help Quinn and talk about what the plans were for this week. They had a pretty open custody agreement and usually just made up a schedule based on what worked best for them. He figured now was as good of a time as any, seeing as Santana was able to distract Ariana.

"I'm sorry for making your night end so early."

Santana chuckled. This kid was going to explode from all of her cuteness. Nobody had ever made Santana smile as much as this young girl. Well, except for another certain blonde dancing newcomer who might be catching up. "It's ok. You're a little bit higher up on my list of important things than a night out. Although, you did interrupt a hot date I had."

It was Ariana's turn to giggle. "You had a hot date?"

Santana pretended to be offended. She opened her mouth wide in shock and put a hand to her chest as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Why, yes! Is that hard to believe?"

"No, you're pretty Auntie Tana!"

"You're not so bad yourself. Although, maybe that's just because you're so good at sweet talkin' me."

Ariana smiled and laughed some more, which made Santana smile more as well. She hated seeing the little girl sad more than anything and was happy when she was able to put a smile on her face.

Just then, Ariana got really pale and stopped laughing. She quickly leaned over and Santana instinctively grabbed for the make-shift puke pail. She tried to hold back some of the long blonde hair with one hand while holding the pail with the other.

Sam and Quinn both rushed over as soon as they heard their daughter throw up. When Ariana was done, Sam went to clean the bucket while Quinn followed to continue their talk.

Santana gathered the sniffling Ariana into her arms and sat down on the couch. She held the girl closely and started to softly sing to her. She had sang to Ariana since the girl was a baby and Quinn couldn't get her to sleep. It was usually lullabies or other soft songs to calm the girl down.

_You're not alone_

_Together we stand_

_I'll be by your side_

_You know I'll take your hand_

"Keep Holding On" seemed a little bit dramatic for the situation but the song instantly calmed Ariana down.

_When it gets cold_

_And it feels like the end_

_There's no place to go_

_You know I won't give in_

_No, I won't give in._

By now, Ariana had almost fallen asleep as she was slowly rocked by Santana. Having the peaceful girl in her arms made Santana feel her own kind of calm.

_Keep holding on_

'_cause you know we'll make it though_

_We'll make it through_

_Just stay strong_

'_cause you know I'm here for you_

_I'm here for you_

By now, Sam and Quinn had come back and Ariana had fallen asleep. Both parents just smiled, knowing the connection the two on the couch had. It was why there was no doubt or objection of choosing Santana as her godmother.

"All ready." Quinn softly spoke out, hoping not to wake her daughter. Santana just nodded and carefully got up, keeping Ariana tightly in her arms and walked over to the other two. Sam quickly kissed Ariana's forehead. The young girl's face twitched a little but she slept peacefully on. Sam and Quinn hugged before saying quick goodbyes as Santana was already out of the house.

When Quinn walked up to the car, Santana had already pulled the booster seat out of the car and secured it and the small girl in place. They silently got in the car and drove, safely this time, to Quinn's.

"Thank you so much, Santana. I really appreciate it." Quinn leans and hugs her savior tonight as best as she could in the car.

"No problem, Q. You know that little squirt has got me wrapped around her tiny ass finger."

They both heard a small giggle coming from the backseat.

"Ari, you're up! I was getting worried I'd have to carry you. I guess you can walk all by yourself now." Quinn teased.

Ariana pretended to sleep again. It took only about ten seconds before she opened her eyes again. "Just kidding!"

Quinn got out and helped her daughter out of the car. As Ariana stood on the curb she walked up to the passenger window, which Santana had rolled down. "Auntie Tana aren't you coming in?"

"Sorry kiddo, I've gotta go home. I need some sl-"

Santana was cut off by Ariana turning around and once again, throwing up. Her heart ached for the young girl but Quinn simply waved her off and told her she's done more than enough for the night. Before she pulled away, Quinn double checked to make sure they still had an agreement for tomorrow.

"Look, I know she's sick. Maybe I should just stay home. It usually only lasts for a while but I can't take too many chances."

"Quinn, shut up. I've got this. You know Ari will be fine with me, right girl?"

Ariana, who had been leaning heavily on her mother while clinging to her leg nodded and gave a small smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Now I'm pulling away, ok?"

"Gotta go call your hot date?"

Santana had a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard you talking to Ari. You said she interrupted your hot date."

Santana blushed but it couldn't be seen thanks to the darkness inside of the car. "Oh, that."

"Mhmm."

"I'm just going to go now."

"Bye Auntie Tana!"

"Bye Santana!"

"Bye Fabray 1 & 2!"

Santana pulled away. That conversation had led her back into deep thoughts about her time spent tonight with Brittany. Of course, Santana spent awhile in her mind just thinking about Brittany's outfit and how she looked dancing in it. Before she got herself too hot and bothered, she thought about how easy they had been talking to each other. It was as if they had known each other all of the their lives and that was some corny shit Santana never thought she'd be thinking about somebody she just met. Then again, she's never met Brittany before. Here is this bubbly, long legged, slightly odd blonde that she should be annoyed by but instead she just adores everything about the girl. Again, it's going against all of her rules.

A whole different conversation in her head started when she thought of the kiss. It was something that was done on impulse and she didn't regret it at all. It was electric and no other kiss had ever come close to it. It was cheesy, but that was some end-of-the-movie, together forever, sparks fucking flying shit.

Damn, this girl is good.

When Santana finally walked into her apartment, she breathed a sigh of relief. It would've been nice to spend more time with Brittany but it was good to be home, knowing Ariana was going to be ok.

Speaking of the object of her desires, she grabbed her cell phone to text the woman. A slip of the fingers, _fucking touch screens_, and Santana was calling her instead. Just as she was about to hang up in panic, she heard the voice that brought an instant smile to her face.

"Hello?"

Santana snapped out of her daze and pulled the phone up to her ear.

"Hey Britt!"

"San! Is Quinn's daughter ok?"

"Yea. She got into some strawberry ice cream and it didn't sit well with her."

"Oh that must suck! I love ice cream! I would hate for any kind of it to make me sick because I love it all!" Brittany drifted off for a second, thinking about all of her favorite flavors and toppings and it was making her really want some ice cream.

Santana noticed the silence and assumed Brittany had spaced off. She would have been pissed at anybody else but she found it so damn endearing on this girl.

"How about we go get some sometime?" _Where did that come from?_ Another impulsive thing she's done tonight. It's been two days and she was asking this girl out for ice cream? She had barely been able to take her eyes off of Brittany's ass in her amazing jeans and appreciated every time the girl had bent over or something and Santana had a perfect view down her tight shirt and she was asking her on a date that would suit twelve year olds. This girl really does have her going crazy!

"That sounds great, San! How about tomorrow?"

Santana desperately wanted to agree to any kind of date with this girl. However, she remembered she had promised Quinn to take Ariana.

"Um actually Britt, I am taking Ari tomorrow because Quinn has a date."

"Well can't we share you? She can come with!"

"That'd be great, Britt. Are you sure?"

"Of course! I want to meet this little one."

"How about we go to the park, too? Since you have a drink called 'ducks in the hat' you can explain to me why it's called that while we visit some ducks. Ari loves them. How does that sound?"

"Great! I love ducks!"

"Do you work tomorrow?" Santana wanted to know how much time she would have with her date. _Holy sweet hell. Date!_ _I mean, awesome, date. God when the fuck did I turn fourteen again?_

"I work when I want to. So if you wouldn't mind spending a lot of time together, then no." Brittany thought she was being sly here, finding out how much Santana likes her by seeing how much time she wanted to spend together.

"I'd say you shouldn't go to work." Santana said, not being able to contain her smile as it grew bigger.

"Then I won't!" Brittany replied excitedly.

Santana was at a loss for conversation topics because her brain was riddled with a schoolgirl-like excitement now that she had an official date with Brittany. She didn't want to stop talking so she asked her what she was doing.

"Walking home. What are you doing?"

"Britt I could have given you a ride! Why didn't you say something? I wouldn't want you to get hurt! I mean, it wouldn't have been a problem for me." Santana tried to play off her worries with a casual ending there but Brittany saw right through it.

"Aww, San. You're so cute when you're worried! I'll be fine, you know it's not far and it's a beautiful night out."

Santana again blushed, glad no one was around to see it. She started to think about her day tomorrow as Brittany rattled on about what Mercedes and Tina had talked about after they left to get Ariana. Just thinking about having to go back to deal with her squad and all of the students and other faculty was exhausting. She tried and failed to hold back a yawn.

"Am I boring you?"

"No! I mean, uh, no. I was just remembering that I have to go to school tomorrow."

"Oh that's right Miss Coach. I will let you go, I just got home myself anyways. You should text me tomorrow with the details for our, uh…" Brittany just trailed off, not sure if it was an official date or not since there was a small child coming with them.

"Date." Santana finished. Brittany quickly covered the mouthpiece of her phone and squealed in happiness. She took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Cool. Good night, San. Sweet dreams!"

"Good night, Britt. Thanks for understanding my emergency tonight and I'm sorry for cutting our time short. I can't wait for tomorrow."

"Me either!"

"Night, sexy." Santana quickly hung up the phone. Since Brittany had turned her into a fumbling fourteen year old, she tried to end their conversations on a flirty note. Sure, hanging up abruptly probably wasn't the smoothest thing ever but in her world it was the best she could do. Santana quickly fell asleep with a happy sigh and a huge smile.

Brittany, however, caught a second wind with the confirmation of a date with Santana. She breezed through her front door and danced in the entryway. It took her a second to register the pair of heels by the doorway and the lights coming from somewhere further inside.

"Hello?" Brittany called out, unsure of who it could be. It could have been quite a few people because Brittany and Rachel had extra keys made and given to some of their closest friends and family because the blonde often lost hers.

"Brittany!"

"Oh my God! Rachel!"

The two girls embraced and quickly sat down at the kitchen table to talk.

"Why are you back?"

"Well my leading man had decided to make out with a random fan girl. He caught mononucleosis, or 'the kissing disease.' I think it serves him right for taking advantage of the poor girl by using his fame and I am glad he is being punished. Karma is not in his favor right now."

"Who's karma?"

"Never mind that. Anyways, I was given some time off. I decided to just fly home and rejuvenate my body so that I am fresh and well relaxed to continue when everything is back in order."

Brittany just nodded. Sometimes Rachel talked too much about things Brittany didn't really care about, although she tried to, and it was boring and she stopped listening.

"How about you? How are you doing, Brittany?"

"I have a date!" Brittany perked up, excited to talk about Santana.

"Who with?"

"Santana. I met her at the bar yesterday. She is beautiful and smart. She was really sad when she came in and she flirted with Puck. Then, she started talking to me and she made me feel all happy inside and she started to smile a lot. Puck started talking to Finn some more so we chatted about some things. Today she pocket dialed me and then I called her back. Then tonight she came back with some of her friends and I was working. I went outside for some air and she followed me. When we went back inside we talked and then she had to leave but she called and now we have a date!"

Brittany ended her story with a few deep breaths. She had said that fast and without breathing a whole lot.

"Though I only caught half of what you said, that is fantastic, Brittany! She sounds lovely I hope all goes well with your date tomorrow. I regret to inform you that I am beat and would love to get in some beauty rest. We can talk more in the morning."

"Um, ok." Brittany was a little confused by Rachel's wording. _Why can't she just say good night like normal people?_ "Good night, Rachel!"

Brittany and Rachel parted and went to their separate bedrooms. Brittany's high was slowly fading, leaving behind a slight giddiness that left her tired. She yawned as she finally crawled into bed after washing up and changing. Her lips still tingled with the faintest trace of Santana's. She fell asleep with one last thought. _Best day ever!_

* * *

><p>A*N - I know, I know. It was kind of an uneventful chapter but now guess who has a date? Two of our favorite girls! Also, Rachel's baaaaaaack (even though she wasn't exactly 'here' before). Sorry for any typos. It's late at night and I caught a few slip ups. (I love ducks almost turned into a more naughty statement.)<p>

Yes, in the course of this story I will eventually have some angst and such but let's enjoy the happy parts now? Sound good?

Last of all, I do appreciate the reviews and favorites, alerts, and those of you just plain old reading this! I have ideas for the direction these stories go in but they are not concrete and are constantly changing. At this point I don't know who exactly I want everybody to end up with so if you have any preferences in pairings or such things please feel free to shout (or type, I guess) them out to me! (I've gotten a few already) I make no promises but I will take your opinions/arguments into account when I do decide. Thank you all and have a splendid day!


	7. Chapter 7

Santana loved the fear she put into the student body and the faculty at _her_ school. Technically, there was a no cell phone policy during school hours for everybody, except for lunch hour. However, nobody dared to stop her when she pulled it out whenever she damn well felt like it. This allowed her to text Brittany with the details of their first official date and then just about random things.

Santana admittedly had to fight hard to keep a giant smile from popping up on her face. Although, that would probably just scare everybody more. "Britney!" She screamed into the megaphone.

The blonde cheerleader quickly climbed down from the top of the pyramid. The remaining members were about to break formation for a break when they were stopped. "I called Britney over to me. I don't see how that translated to giving you all permission to break your sorry excuse for a pyramid."

The rest of the squad stayed put, trying valiantly to stay upright as a group. Nobody dared let out a groan or any other noise of protest.

"Yes, Coach?"

Santana snapped back to the blonde in front of her, almost forgetting why she was there.

"Yes, Britney. I have somewhere to be after school today but I fully expect a hard cheerleading practice in my absence. Is that understood?"

"Yes Coach!"

"Can you handle it? Do I need to find somebody else or give you some minions to help you?"

"No Coach. I will have everything under control. Should anything go wrong it will be reported to you ASAP."

"Good. Now get back up on top. I want to see who cracks first."

Britney sprinted back to the squad and climbed to the top of the pyramid once again. Every member looked to Santana for further direction while she just smirked and stared back at them. Her squad was run tighter than an army and she didn't expect anything to go wrong.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, a freshman girl on the bottom started to silently sob from overexertion. Santana took pity on her, though she didn't show it in her face, and dismissed them all with a few choice calls of "Worthless!" and "Unacceptable!" that she learned from her own coach a few years ago.

Santana left school a half an hour early to be at Ariana's elementary school on time. The kindergartener was in her classroom waiting for her. Quinn had informed the teacher of the arrangement with Santana so there were no problems getting the girl. Santana had agreed to get the young girl as soon as school was over so Quinn could take some time for herself to get ready for her date and relax a little bit. Actually, she had volunteered to let Ariana sleepover, much to the little girl's delight when she heard the news.

"Aunt Tana!" Ariana cried out when she recognized the woman walking into the room. She sprinted over and jumped into arms that barely had time to register the attack. "Hey Ari!" She hugged the girl and then put her down. "Get all of your stuff so we can get going."

Ariana quickly started going around the room trying to remember what she needed to take home for the weekend. As she did that, her teacher came up to talk to Santana. "You must be Santana. I am Mrs. Anderson, Ariana's teacher." Santana nodded and shook hands with the teacher. "So, I don't mean to pry, but are you and Quinn together?"

It took a lot for Santana not to burst out laughing. "No, no. God, no." She would never think of Quinn in that way. Sure, in high school they may have done a few things but nothing would ever happen between them now. It would just be too weird.

Mrs. Anderson looked confused. "Oh so you're not…not-" she trailed off, not knowing what word to use since she didn't want to offend the other woman.

"Oh no, I totally am." Santana knew what Mrs. Anderson had meant. "It's just that Quinn is practically my sister. No bueno, you know?"

Mrs. Anderson smiled and nodded in understanding. By then, Ariana had finished packing up everything and attached herself to Santana's leg. "Aunt Tana can we go now? Mommy said you were taking me to the park!"

"Well are you ready, slow poke? I swear it took you forever to get your stuff." Santana joked with the kid.

Ariana nodded and grabbed Santana's hand and pulled her towards the door. "Bye Mrs. A!" She called over her shoulder. "Bye Ariana, have a good weekend." The teacher replied, waving back at Santana who had turned to wave goodbye.

Out in the car, Santana buckled Ariana up in the backseat. "Why do I have to sit back here? I am a big kid!" Ariana asked.

"Even though you're a big kid, you're still a kid. Kids stay in the back for safety. I wouldn't want you to get hurt because then I'd have to no one to pick on." Santana replied, tickling the girl before shutting the door and walking around to the drivers seat.

**Picked up Ari. On our way 2 the park. Cya soon! -San**

Santana quickly sent the message before starting her car and double checking that Ariana was safely buckled in and comfortable. "You good?" Santana asked her with an eyebrow raise. "Let's just goooo." Ariana whined out, eager to go to the park. Santana laughed and picked up her phone, which had vibrated with a reply.

**Meet you there. I might be a little late but I can't wait! -Britt**

Santana smiled and pulled out of the school's parking lot. "Ooooh. Tana's got a girlfriend!" Ariana taunted. Santana looked at the girl in the rearview mirror.

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cause when you looked at your phone, you smiled real big like Daddy does when he gets a text from Mommy."

Santana just chuckled in response. She felt a little bad for Sam even though she still didn't like him too much, knowing he still had feelings for Quinn. "You want to meet her?"

"Yes!" Ariana's face lit up with excitement.

"Well she is going to meet us at the park, does that sound good?"

"Yea." Ariana smiled, thinking about what this girl that her aunt spoke so fondly of could be like. _She's probably really beautiful 'cause Tana is pretty. I hope she's nice. Maybe she'll play with me!_

"So how was your day at school?" Santana asked, breaking Ariana from her thoughts.

"It was good. Did you know in New York girls can marry girls and boys can marry boys now?"

"Really?" Santana did know that but she decided to indulge the little girl. Plus, she wanted to know how Ariana now knew that.

"Yea! Mrs. A told us that today. She talked about how we should accept people who are different from us. Then she asked if we knew a girl who like girls like she does or a boy who liked boys and I raised my hand and told her about you!"

Santana was surprised to say the least. It was a bold move to bring that up in a school, much less a group on kindergarteners. Also, it explained why the teacher spoke to her and seemed to take an interest in her dating life.

"Then a stupid mean boy told me that it was weird to be like that." Ariana continued. "So I punched him like you taught me to. Mrs. A didn't even catch me!"

Santana had to hide her proud smirk. "Ari, you should have just told Mrs. Anderson. I'm sure she would have talked to him. You don't need to be getting into trouble and only use what I taught you in an emergency situation."

"But I had to defend you! Plus, I'm her favorite even if she won't say it 'cause I'm the smartest in the class."

They pulled up to the park. The conversation abruptly ended in favor of excited bouncing and squeals. "Hurry! I want to go play!" Santana unbuckled and helped Ariana out of the car. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she took off towards the jungle gym, joining in a game of tag with the other kids there.

Santana took a seat on a nearby bench. She decided to call Quinn really quick to see how she was doing.

"Hello?"

"Hey Q."

"Santana! Is everything ok?"

"Chill out, give me some credit here. Everything is fine I just called to make sure you weren't freaking out over this dreadful date too much."

"Shut up. You're just jealous I have a date."

"No. Mine should be here shortly."

Quinn gasped. "What the hell? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. She's just coming to hang out with me and Ari."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Well, she isn't here yet. Do you really need to talk to her, though? I think that's kind of weird…"

"I meant Ari!"

"Oh." Santana _totally _knew she was talking about Ariana and not Brittany.

"ARI!"

"WHAT?" The young girl didn't bother coming over, instead just yelling from her perch on top of some monkey bars.

Getting a glare from some of the parents, she just waved the phone in the air and waved her hand, signaling to come talk.

"Be right back, guys!" Ariana jumped off, landing more gracefully than most kids would. Santana saw a natural cheerleader in her niece.

"Who is it?"

"It's your mom."

Ariana excited took the phone. "Hi Mommy!"

"Hey Ari, how was school?" Quinn asked.

Ariana was about to answer with the same story she told Santana but stopped when her aunt shook her head, knowing Quinn wouldn't want to hear about her daughter punching other kids. "It was fine."

"Just fine?"

"Yes, mom! Can I go play again, now?"

"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Can I call you tonight?"

"Sure, sweetie."

"K, bye!" Ariana tossed the phone back and ran back to the other kids.

"Santana, thanks for calling, but I have to go."

"Fine. Gotta get ready for creeper?"

"Really, that's the best you've got?"

"It's been a long day."

"Ari can call at anytime if she wants to, don't worry about interrupting."

"Oh I'm not worried. I'll talk to you later, Q."

"Have fun on your date, Santana."

Before Santana could respond, Quinn hung up. She watched the kids play for a few more minutes before Ariana ran up to her again, cheeks red from running around and hair already messy. "I'm thirsty."

Luckily, Santana was prepared for this. She grabbed her purse and pulled out a small Bug Juice bottle and handed it over. "You have to sit here when you drink it though, I don't want you running around with it." Santana told her. Ariana huffed but sat down next to her anyways.

"So when's your girlfriend coming?"

"Any minute. She just texted me saying she was on her way. Also, she isn't my girlfriend." _Yet._

"She isn't your girlfriend, yet!" Ariana said laughing, voicing Santana's exact thoughts. It scared the brunette and how much the young girl looked like Quinn but acted like her sometimes. "What does she look like? I will see if I can see her coming!"

"She's tall and blonde."

"Blonde like me and Mommy?"

"Yes."

Santana wished she knew how to better describe Brittany to the young girl because every time a blonde woman walked nearby, Ariana would tug on Santana's arm and point her out. Santana had kept getting her hopes up only to be dashed when it was a different blonde.

"There!"

"Nope. Not her."

Ariana had a look of intense concentration on her face as she scanned the park.

"There!"

"Close, but no cigar."

"I don't smoke." Ariana deadpanned.

"You're right. You also never will."

"There!"

Santana was about to dismiss the girl again when she looked up to find Brittany walking towards them. "Good job! That's her!"

Both girls sitting on the bench watch as Brittany gets closer and closer. Santana couldn't take her eyes off of the woman walking towards her. A smile grew on her face against her will. Brittany was wearing jean shorts and sneakers, showing off her long, strong legs. She also wore a simple tank top with a picture of a turtle wearing sunglasses on it. Santana loved everything about it and suddenly wish she had changed out of her jeans and simple red polo shirt.

"Hi." Brittany stopped in front of the two.

"Hey Britt!" Santana said quickly. She pulled Ariana on to her lap to make room for Brittany on the bench. She looked at the young girl to see if she was going to greet the other woman but Ariana had a shy smile on her face and remained silent.

"This must be the Ariana you talk so much about!" Brittany smiled at the young girl in Santana's lap. The girl responded with a bright smile and an adoring look directed towards Santana, hardly believing her role model spoke about her to other people.

"Yea. Say hi, Ari. It's ok." She encouraged Ariana, who looked over to Brittany again. "Hi." She said quietly, brining her juice bottle up to her mouth as an excuse not to say more.

Brittany dug in her purse quickly. "I actually brought you something, Ariana."

Ariana looked excited and quickly leaned up to whisper into Santana's ear when she decided Brittany looked distracted enough. "I like her. She's really pretty, too."

"I like her a lot, too. She's beautiful." Santana whispered back. The two smiled at their shared secrets, not knowing Brittany had heard them both.

"Santana told me M&M's were your favorite." Brittany pulled a small bag of the candy out of her purse. Ariana smiled widely and thanked the older blonde as she was handed the candy. "Thank you Brittany! They are my favorite!" Santana was happy to see the little girl breaking out of her shy shell she always put up when meeting new people.

"Aunt Tana! Look what she gave me!"

"I see that." Santana took the bag out of Ariana's hands. "You can have them tonight after supper. Why don't you go play some more before we leave?"

"Fine I'll wait. Brittany, do you want to come play with me?"

"I'd love to, but I am just going to rest for a bit. It was a long ways to walk from the studio."

Ariana nodded in understanding before taking off once again, leaving behind the empty Bug Juice bottle.

"Studio?" Santana turned back to Brittany after making sure Ariana had run to the playground and hadn't took off in a random direction.

"Dance studio. I worked with the girls a little bit today. I usually practice on my own a little bit too because I know the owner."

"Oh, that sounds like fun. Can I watch you work, sometime?" Santana flirted a little, figuring she had to get some of her game back on track.

"Didn't you see me last night?" Brittany smiled in return.

"I did. And I want more, more, more!" Brittany laughed at Santana's dramatic actions.

The girls bantered a bit more but then got right back into their usual getting to know one another conversations. Santana had never been more interested in actually hearing the answers to questions such as "What's your favorite color?" _Blue, cause she loves to go swimming and she loves the sky._ "What's your favorite animal?" _It's a tie between all of them. Brittany is the only person that I would believe to have that kind of answer_.

Santana had found out that Brittany had a younger sister and a step brother for siblings. Brittany found out Santana was an only child but has two step brothers and a step sister that she has never cared to get to know.

"My parents were never around a lot. I consider my family to be Quinn, Ariana, and Mercedes. They are the only ones I've ever needed." Santana explained when Brittany questioned her relationships with her stepsiblings.

Ariana made her way back to the bench. "Can we go see the ducks now?"

"I love ducks!" Brittany exclaimed. Ariana looked like she had just said the most wonderful thing in the world. Brittany looked to Santana. "Can we, San?"

Santana knew she was in big trouble. She looked from Ariana's pleading puppy dog face to Brittany's excited one. It was then she knew that if these two paired up against her, they could have anything in the world that they wanted. _Let's hope they never figure this out. Shit, how about let's just hope Brittany sticks around for now._ "Alright, let's go then." Santana pretends to be annoyed but both of the other girls see right through it. She's reaching down to grab her purse and when she looks back up, she sees Ariana attached to Brittany's back with her arms around the taller woman's neck. Brittany's arms are wrapped around the girl's legs effectively giving her a piggy back ride, much to Ariana's joy.

"Onward, Brittany!" Ariana says, reaching a hand to point in the direction of the duck pond. Brittany turns her head to look back at the girl as much as she can and says "Hold on tight!" Ariana grips her hands together and laughs. Her laugh mingles with Brittany's and Santana knows that is the best sound she's ever heard. _Who is this woman?_ She questions, already knowing the answer. _Someone I have a chance at falling for. I may be in trouble, here._

Santana walks, carrying her purse and now Brittany's too. She can't deny how quickly two of her favorite girls have hit it off as Brittany makes horse noises and gallops circles around Santana while Ariana screams with delight. _I could get used to this. Wait, did I really just think that?_

By the duck pond, Brittany pulls out some bread she had stashed in her purse. She hands most of the loaf to Ariana and all three of them walk up to the water and throw some in. The ducks quack and all three girls do their best impressions, quacking back at the birds. Once they are done, they sit down near the water's edge and rest. Santana has to laugh when Ariana sits between Brittany's outstretched legs instead of on Santana's lap as she usually did.

The two blondes talk and get to know each other better while Santana mainly listens and smiles at them. Both women were listening to Ariana's story about her and her best friend finding treasure. Really, they had just found Quinn's creepy tiara collection. Interrupting the story was Ariana's stomach growling. Santana looks down at her watch and notices that it was indeed time to eat. Time had flown by with Brittany in their company.

"I guess ice cream's going to have to wait!" Brittany says.

"Why?" Ariana asks.

"Because, silly, you can't have ice cream before supper, that's just not good for you."

Ariana pouts a little.

Santana doesn't know what to do. She wants Brittany to stay but they had only agreed to ice cream and the park and now ice cream was going to have to wait. Luckily, today she had a tiny savior.

"Britt?"

Brittany turned to the girl looking up at her. "What, Ari?" The two had started to use each other's nicknames.

"Will you come eat with us? We can get ice cream afterwards, right Tana?"

Santana nodded and held her breath, waiting for Brittany's answer.

Brittany looked to the other woman and then back to Ariana. "If it's ok with another certain pretty lady I know." She indicated Santana and Ariana caught on right away.

"Is it ok Tana?"

"Definitely." Santana smiled at Brittany, who returned it. This time when they walked to Santana's car, Ariana ran around them, chasing butterflies and other insects while the two women walked next to each other. Santana boldly reached out and took Brittany's hand, interlacing their fingers. Brittany smiled in response and squeezed the hand now in hers. Santana let out a contented sigh.

They went to a simple fast food restaurant. Burgers and fries were their main course and nobody cared. Ariana rarely got to eat like this because Quinn was big on health. Brittany didn't mind and Santana was just happy to eat with Brittany. _I could definitely eat something else. _Santana though, eyeing a smiling Brittany. _Woah, mind out of the gutter Lopez, you've got squirt with you._

After dinner, all three girls ordered dessert. They had ice cream at the place so everybody was happy that they didn't have to make an extra trip. Santana had to order for Ariana because the girl tried to order strawberry ice cream. When Santana told her no and made her pick something else instead, she turned to Brittany and asked her to get some and share. Brittany laughed at the cuteness of Ariana and told her that Santana warned her about anything strawberry flavored.

"That's not fair Aunt Tana!"

"Do you want to be sick like last night again?"

"No." Ariana grumbled but quickly perked up when Brittany took her mind off of it by offering to play tic tac toe on a small notebook that was in her purse.

Brittany won the first game but Ariana won the next two. Whether or not Brittany was letting her win, Santana would never know. Brittany genuinely looked like she had gotten confused a few times.

They all ate their ice cream and Santana chatted with Ariana about what they should do when they got back to Santana's house.

"We can play cards and board games! Then we can watch a movie before we go to sleep. I want to watch Finding Nemo this time!"

Santana just agreed as the girl rambled on about various games they could play.

"Aunt Tana, can we have a sleepover?"

Santana was confused. "We are having a sleepover. A girl's night."

"So is Brittany coming? She's a girl!"

_Kid's got a point._ Santana definitely wouldn't mind a sleepover with Brittany but it seemed like it would be too soon. Although, it wouldn't be like they were sleeping alone in a bed together with no one else around, Ariana would be there. Still, she wasn't sure how Brittany felt after their day together so far.

"I don't know, Ari. I'm sure she has plenty of things to do still tonight." Santana said and Ariana immediately frowned. She had grown to like Brittany a lot. Santana also caught the disappointed look in Brittany's eyes before the girl put on a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

She turned to the girl sitting beside her in the booth. "Yea, Ari. I'm sorry." She turned back to her ice cream, avoiding Santana's gaze from the other side of the booth. _I love sleepovers. Why didn't she just invite me? Maybe it's too soon or she just doesn't like me after today._

Santana watched as Ariana sadly leaned against Brittany. The taller blonde reached out and put her arm around the small girl and gave her a small squeeze. It killed Santana to see them both so sad. _Maybe she'll agree to come. I guess I won't know if I don't try._

She saw her opportunity arise as Ariana excused herself to go to the bathroom, which was only a few feet away. Santana offered to go with her but the young girl played the "I'm a big girl" card and went in by herself. Santana watched the doorway for anybody going in or out.

"Britt?"

Brittany, trying to put on a happy face, looked up at Santana.

"I know it's kind of soon and everything but if you want to come and stay over tonight, you can. I would…I would really like it if you did but I understand if you want to say no. Ari would be there and we could hang out some more and-" Santana had started to look everywhere but at Brittany, feeling more and more insecure as she rambled on. She silently thanked anybody who would listen when she was interrupted.

"Yes!" Brittany smiled and answered.

Santana quickly looked back to Brittany. "What?"

"Yes, I'll come. I was kind of hoping you would invite me and I started to think you didn't like me." Brittany didn't mean to admit that but it slipped out.

"No! Actually, it's quite the opposite. I really like you, Brittany."

"I really like you, Santana."

The two slowly leaned in for a kiss. Just before their lips touched they were interrupted.

"Is she your girlfriend _now_ Aunt Tana?"

The two women quickly pulled apart and Brittany noticed Santana tense up. Officially, they weren't dating so she decided to try and distract the little girl.

"Ari, do you mind me crashing your sleepover?"

Ariana lit up again and quickly jumped back into the booth to hug Santana. "She's coming?" Ariana pulled back to make sure she hears the answer.

"Yes ma'am. If that's ok with you?"

"It's perfect! Let's get going so we can start this party!"

Santana paid for everybody's food, much to Brittany's resistance. When Brittany finally relented, she thanked Santana and again intertwined their fingers together as they walked back to the car. Santana quickly reached out to open Brittany's door for her. _Good work, Lopez. You are getting some of your game back!_ She had to laugh when she shut the door for the older blonde and turned around to look at an expectant younger blonde.

"Why did you open her door for her?"

"Because I like her and it's the proper way to woo a lady." Santana leaned down and replied with a smile.

"Oh." Ariana raced around to the drivers side door and opened it. "Here Tana! I opened it 'cause I like you!" Brittany had heard the last part and guess at what kind of conversation had just taken place.

Santana walked around and picked up the small girl and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Why thank you, gorgeous young lady. She left her door open and she walked back to the passenger side and opened the back door for Ariana. The child smiled and climbed in. She moved Santana's hands away when they came in to help buckle her up. "I can do it myself. Watch!" Santana watched as Ariana poked her tongue out and concentrated on the buckles. Soon enough the click sounded and she smiled triumphantly at Santana. "I did it!" Santana held out her hand for a high five. It was eagerly returned.

She closed the door and walked around and got into the driver's seat. Santana smiled at Brittany who was just beaming at the cuteness that had just take place. _She's so good with kids,_ Brittany thought. Santana looked to Brittany and then back at Ariana.

"Everybody good to go?"

They both nodded and Santana started the car. As she pulled out of the restaurants parking lot, Brittany took her hand. Santana squeezed Brittany's with a smile and their hands stayed together the whole way back to Santana's.

* * *

><p>A*N - This chapter was brought to you by: Rain. Yes, I had plans today to enjoy some beautiful weather but then it rained like there was going to be a flood. I did not want to get soaked from standing outside so I stayed inside and wrote this instead. I hope you enjoyed it!<p>

There is a lack of other characters (except Ariana) in this chapter. I hope you all don't mind but I wanted to focus on the Brittana and Ariana cuteness this chapter. Next one, the sleepover!

Anyways, thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting, and just being all around amazing. I'm still taking note of any suggestions being offered. Thanks again and have a splendiferous day!


	8. Chapter 8

Santana unlocked and opened her front door. As soon as it was wide enough to squeeze through, Ariana rushed inside. The door swung open the rest of the way and Santana made a sweeping motion, urging Brittany to enter first.

"Such a gentleman." Brittany commented with a smile.

Santana winked in reply.

Brittany went into the living room to settle down on the couch. Santana followed her in, listening for Ariana. She figured out where the girl was when she heard a closet door sliding open and closed again.

Ariana raced into the living room, balancing at least 3 different board games and a deck of cards.

"You don't waist any time, huh Ari?" Santana smiled at the eager young girl.

"Nope! I don't know what kind of games you like, Britty, so I grabbed Life, Candyland, and Sorry. I also grabbed some cards for Go Fish or War." Ariana looked over to Brittany, waiting for a reply.

"Wow, um. I really don't know." Brittany was still trying to process the information that was directed to her in a rush of an excited explanation. "How about we start with Sorry?"

"Ok!" Ariana immediately opened the box and went to work clearing off the coffee table in the living room and set up the board.

"Do you want anything to drink? I have orange juice, soda, milk, water…" Santana asked. The smile on her face wouldn't come off but she just started to accept that. If anybody other than these two would be seeing this, they would be in shock.

"Water, please." Brittany answered with a smile. Santana got caught in the girl's beautiful expression before a small hand yanked at her shirt. "Aunt Tana can I have a soda?"

Santana broke from her staring and turned to Arian. "Only one. You want some goldfish, too?" Ariana nodded.

Santana ruffled the younger girl's blonde hair before heading to the kitchen. She started humming lightly to herself. Grabbing two glasses from the cupboard, she filled them with ice cold water. She grabbed Ariana a Pepsi out of the fridge and the Goldfish from the snack corner of her counter. Before she gathered up everything she stopped for a second. _Really Lopez? Humming Walking on Sunshine? You are so not badass right now._ Santana shook herself then walked back into the living room.

Ariana and Brittany were sitting on the floor on opposite sides of the table. In between them, the board was already all set up. Ariana was explaining the rules to Brittany, who needed a refresher, complete with wildly moving hand gestures and questions of "Ok?" Brittany nodded along, smiling at the girl's enthusiasm. She turned and smiled gratefully when Santana handed her a glass.

Santana moved to sit down between the two at the end of the table. She set the goldfish box down on the table, close enough for everybody to reach. Ariana asked her to open the can for her, which Santana did, and then took a big gulp. Santana crossed her legs and scooted close to the table. Her knee was almost touching Brittany's because they were in the same position. Ariana sat on her knees so she had better access to the whole board. Once everybody was settled, the game began.

Santana was losing. She didn't really care. It was weird because she was usually pretty competitive. Sure, she'd let Ariana win when they played together but she was always a close second. Now she was losing by a lot and she didn't even mind. That may have had something to do with the fact that Brittany's hand had settled down on her knee. It didn't fail to send a small tingle through her body when said hand moved up and down every now and again. _It's moving again! Damnit, wipe that goofy ass grin off of your face. Your losing! Get it together. Hold up, she's smiling at you. Oh lord, look at that perfection._

"TANA!" Santana startled. She turned to Ariana again who was giving her a weird look.

"Hmm?" She asked, not trusting to speak since her mouth felt a little dry.

"You were looking all goofy. It's your turn so stop staring at Britty and play!" Ariana huffed, eager to get back to the game since she was a few turns away from winning.

Santana blushed and quickly moved to keep the game going. She ended up knocking out one of Brittany's pawns. Brittany scrunched up her nose and fake growled at Santana. Ariana excitedly bounced. Brittany was close behind Ariana but the young girl had a pretty much guaranteed win now.

Two turns later, Ariana won. She stood up and danced in her triumph before settling down again to play Santana's choice of Life. Ariana once again set up the board, trying to prove that she was old enough and smart enough to handle it on her own. Santana reached down to her knee and grabbed the pale hand that was resting there to play with Brittany's fingers while they waited.

Soon enough, they started their game. Ariana immediately started her career, skipping college. She ended up as an artist, which she didn't mind at all. Santana took the college route and eventually caught up to Ariana and started her career as a doctor. Brittany went with Ariana and started her career as a police officer right away. _Police Officer eh? _Santana thought. _I could totally go for that. Handcuffs, putting me in jail, punishing me…_

"TANA!" _Oops, caught again._ Brittany giggled as Santana shook her head then spun the number wheel. She landed on ten.

"Speeding! Give me some money, woman!" Brittany exclaimed. Santana pretended to be mad as she forked over some cash. Now she remembered why she always wanted to be the police officer with that whole speeding rule.

Pretty soon each girl was getting married. Ariana was once again in the lead and so she first picked out a little blue person to join the pink one already in her car. "His name is….Josh!" Ariana declared. Santana gave the little girl a suspicious look. "Isn't there a Josh in your class?" Ariana quickly blushed and changed the subject. "Your turn." Santana spun and now it was her turn to get married. Ariana, who was the keeper of the money, life chips, people, and other assets, quickly handed over a pink girl. Santana inserted the little person into her car.

"What's her name?" Ariana asked.

Santana froze up. Usually when they played she just said some celebrity or a made up name. "You can't pick Heather Morris again!" Ariana said sternly.

Brittany held in her laughter. She remembered the first night she spent talking with Santana. The brunette had mentioned that she looked like Heather Morris. Finding out that's who Santana usually "married" made her chuckle.

Santana was still fumbling for an answer when Ariana spoke again. "How about Britty?"

Brittany couldn't contain her laughter anymore when Santana had a panicked look on her face. She covered her mouth as it rang out. Santana looked a little taken aback. "What are you laughing at Ms. Pierce?"

"You!" Brittany simply replied. Her laughs quieted down to small giggles now. "Don't you want to marry me, San?"

Santana's mouth flapped open and shut like a fish as she searched for words.

"Calm down, it's just a game. Also, I accept, if you'll have me?"

Santana let out a relieved sigh. _What is Ari trying to do to me?_

"Ok. Her name is Brittany Pierce."

Ariana shook her head. "No?" Santana questioned.

"Duh! Now it's Brittany Lopez. Or you could do the two last name thingy like Jennifer Johnson-Miller in my class. I don't know what it means but I think it could work."

Brittany took the time while the other two were discussing this to take her turn. She ended up also getting married. "Ari? Can I have a girl, please?" Ariana stopped her story of Jennifer to dig out a pink person for Brittany. "What's her name?" She looked at Brittany expectantly.

"Santana Lopez-Pierce." Brittany beamed at Santana. The other girl just had a big goofy smile back on her face. _Lopez, you are looking more and more like that weird, over-sized Finn guy._

After finishing a game of Life, which was one by Brittany, they played a three person game of war and a quick game of Go Fish. Before they played anything else, Santana figured they should call Quinn really quick. It was getting late and she didn't want to chance interrupting anything later. _Ew. _

Santana dialed the number on her cell phone then handed it to Ariana. The young girl got up and slowly walked around the room. "Hi Mommy." Santana knew that Quinn must have answered and she let the two blondes talk for awhile as she turned to Brittany.

"Having fun?" Santana asked.

"Loads! I didn't expect you to have board games laying around your house, actually. That was a nice surprise." Brittany laughed.

"I have a lot of things up my sleeve. You can blame Ari for those, though. She insisted I was no fun so I have a bunch of them. There is a closet that has a pretty good selection."

"What else do you have up your sleeve?"

"Well," Santana had to think for a second. "Ariana has been distracted with you here. Usually by now we would've had some guitar lessons. I've been teaching her. I used to sing her lullabies when she was a baby because she never wanted to sleep. Her father got her a guitar for her fifth birthday so she could take lessons from me. He had to sell his a few years ago so he was happy to see her learn from me."

"Aww that's so sweet!" Brittany squeezed Santana's hand. "I hope I can hear you play sometime."

"Definitely." Santana couldn't say no as she stared into the blue eyes she has grown to absolutely adore as much as a certain hazel pair. "I'm really glad you came, Britt."

"I'm glad you invited me, Mrs. Lopez-Pierce." Brittany winked.

Santana gasped. "That's right. I'm still not happy about that…" Brittany gave her a worried and confused look.

"You didn't have to marry me. You could have picked somebody else." Brittany tried to show that she didn't care but there was a sad tone to her voice.

Santana chuckled at the other woman. "No, I am happy with who I married. It's just that, I got married two times tonight, to the same woman, yet I didn't get to kiss the bride." Santana knew it was kind of cheesy but she had come to find out Brittany adored her cheesiness.

"You can now." Brittany smiled, oddly relieved that Santana did want to fake-marry her.

"With pleasure!" Santana said as she reached up with her free hand and pulled Brittany to her. Their lips moved smoothly together and Santana let out a light moan at the contact. She smiled into the kiss when she heard Brittany's light whimper. Just as she was about to go for gold and swipe her tongue on Brittany's lip, they were interrupted.

"Ew! Mommy, they are kissing!" Ariana said into the phone. Brittany pulled away and laughed when Santana fell towards her at the loss of contact. She pulled herself back up and laid her head against the couch behind her. "Hello, Ari." She said as she looked up to the ceiling.

"Hi Tana. Mommy wants to talk to you."

Santana stood up. "Of course, she does." She waited as Ariana said goodbye to her mother and she looked back at Brittany. The blonde woman looked back at her and winked. That did nothing to her racing heart. She gave Brittany a "one minute" gesture as she heard the call slowly being handed off to her.

"Ok. Good night, Mommy." Pause. "I love you, too." Pause. "_OK, _Mommy, I will. Can I please go back to playing now?" Ariana rolled her eyes in a very Santana-like way. "Bye!" Ariana handed the phone to Santana before she went to sit down next to Brittany again.

"Hello?"

"Santana! How is your night going?" Santana could practically hear the smirk Quinn was wearing.

"Good."

"Sounds like it. Please keep it PG in front of my daughter, OK?"

"How was the date?" Santana decided to change the subject before she endured further embarrassment. She felt it was the wrong turn, though, as she heard Quinn sigh on the other end.

"It was a dud. He talked about himself way too much and he couldn't even remember his child's middle name. I really was hoping for a good guy for once in my life."

Santana felt bad. Sure, she had made fun of the guy but she really wanted Quinn to be happy. "I'm sorry to hear that, Q."

"Nothing else to do but move on. Mercedes volunteered to take me out, though. We have a group going. It'll be me, her, Tina, Sam, and some Kurt guy that Tina wants us to meet."

"Maybe you'll have some luck with this Kurt guy?" Santana was trying to look at the bright side.

"Who knows? Anyways, how did Brittany end up there? Is she staying the night? Damn Lopez, I knew you worked fast but when Ari is there?"

_Guess I'm not getting off easy tonight. Wow, pun not intended but I really am hilarious._ Santana took a second to enjoy the accidental double meaning of getting off before she realized that she had some questions to answer. "Well, your child asked if she could come. At first, I refused, thinking it was too soon but she seemed disappointed. I put on the Lopez charm," _She doesn't have to know I fumbled through that particular proposal_. "and asked her if she wanted to come to our little sleepover. She agreed and here we are. Also no, I do not plan on getting it on with Brittany when your daughter is over." Santana was glad she had moved to the kitchen and prayed Brittany couldn't hear her.

"Ok, Santana. That better be true. I don't need to explain sex to my daughter at this age. Not until she's at least forty years old." Santana laughed. "Anyways, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I have weekend practice since there's a competition coming up. I'm hoping to have a trophy collect to rival Coach's soon enough."

Quinn laughed. Only Santana would want to be anything like Sue Sylvester. "So what time do I need to pick Ari up?"

"Not until noon-ish, I'd say."

"What time is your practice?" Quinn had expected it to be a morning practice.

"Two O'clock." Santana said with a smile. It was her strategy. Instead of morning practice and getting it over with, Santana chose to have the practice about halfway through the day so not much else could be done. Then, her cheerleaders would be forced to have their mind on practice most of the day and not be distracted with trips or anything of that sort.

"You're crazy. I'll be there. See you tomorrow, Satan."

"Bye, Q."

Santana walks back into the living room, hoping for the best results for Quinn and Kurt. She is surprised to find the coffee table up against the couch and the game of twister laid out before her.

"Um. Twister?" Santana tries as hard as she can to not show her thoughts. _Brittany is a dancer. I bet she's flexible. What if we get tangled up? Oh God…_

"Mommy said it would probably be a good idea. This way I can take my bath and you guys won't be bored." Ariana said innocently. Quinn had actually made her believe she was helping the two older women out.

_Damnit Q!_ "Did you ask Britt if she wanted to play or did you just decide for us?" Santana didn't know if she wanted to have an excuse not to play or if she wanted desperately for it to be ok with Brittany.

"No, I agreed. It sounded like…fun." Brittany smirked at Santana.

_Oh hell yes! Wait, you've got a kid to watch. Control yourself._ Santana was conflicted. She knew Ariana wouldn't want her to stick around in the bathroom. That little girl was out to prove she could do things by herself so lately when she took a bath the door stayed open and she yelled when she needed help.

"Well, let's go set up your bath. Britt, you don't mind waiting, do you?" Brittany smiled and shook her head. "Not at all, San."

Santana set up the bath for Ariana and helped her settle into it. The whole time she was mentally preparing herself for a seemingly innocent game of twister. That is, if Brittany really wanted to play it and she wasn't just saying that for Ariana's sake.

After returning to the living room, she saw that Brittany did indeed want to play. The other girl was stretching out as if she was going to run a marathon. Santana gave her a questioning look.

"I've got to stretch out if I want to beat you. I am awesome at this game. I used to play it with my cat. I was so good, Lord Tubbington would get frustrated and run away."

Santana smiled at Brittany. She raised her eyebrow as if taking in the challenge. "It's on."

"Like Donkey Kong!" Brittany replied before spinning the color wheel. "Left foot, Blue!"

The game was played with constant jeering. "Just a few more turns and I'll win!" "No you won't. You're already started to give out!"

Brittany had won in the end. Santana could've gone on longer but after a certain right hand red, she looked up and saw right down Brittany's shirt. The pink polka-dot bra and smooth cleavage thoroughly distracted her enough to the point where Brittany noticed her gaze and pushed her over.

"No fair!" Santana said, looking up at Brittany in disbelief. "You pushed me over!"

"I was just trying to get your attention. You were busy looking _elsewhere._" Brittany smirked.

Santana blushed at having been caught. She was saved from having to explain when Ariana yelled out that she was finished and needed her pajamas. Santana grabbed the young girl's bag and went back into the bathroom while Brittany cleaned up the game.

Ariana came out in her favorite cow pajama pants and matching shirt. Brittany complimented her on her sleepwear. "Those are awesome, Ari!"

"Thanks Britty!" Ariana looked genuinely pleased with the compliment. "Where are your pajamas?"

"I don't have any." Brittany answered.

"Aunt Tana, you need to give her some!" Ariana turned to Santana.

Santana winked at Brittany. "I have just the thing."

Santana changed into some black short shorts and a white tank top. She had given Brittany a similar outfit and the girl went to go change. Ariana was telling Santana another story about a pirate game she played in school when Brittany entered the living room. The brunette's gaze lifted from Ariana to the other woman and her mouth went dry.

_And I thought those shorts were short on me! Damn. Hello, Brittany's abs. Girl is sexy! _Santana looked over the girl. She had given Brittany a pair of her larger, yet still short, plaid shorts and a tank top. The tank top was obviously too small as a small sliver of Brittany's stomach poked out from between the two articles of clothing. She was still appreciating the sight as Brittany blushed under her gaze. Ariana suddenly poked her face.

"What?" Santana asked, finally breaking her leering.

"Your face was all frozen. You had your mouth open and I thought you were about to drool!" Ariana giggled.

Santana wiped her mouth, praying that there wasn't any actually drool there. She was relieved to find there wasn't and tried to move on from her embarrassment at having been caught, yet again, staring at Brittany.

"How about we build a fort and then watch a movie?" Santana asked, knowing that Ariana usually fell asleep pretty quickly after her baths, especially when a movie was playing.

"Yay!" Ariana loved building forts. She thought Santana was the best at making them, too. Brittany was more than happy to help. The blonde had a newfound confidence around Santana after she constantly found the brunette checking her out.

Brittany and Santana worked together to turn the couch around so they could use the cushions as a bed and the back of it as a back wall. Ariana brought a few chairs in from the dining room table. Santana grabbed her giant silk comforter from her bed to use as the roof since it was the biggest blanket she had. Ariana took a few trips to bring all of Santana's many pillows from the older woman's bedroom. Brittany grabbed the extra blankets from the hall closet.

Soon enough, they had a comfortable bed laid out in the fort. There were 3 walls, a roof, and one open side so they could still watch Finding Nemo.

"Aunt Tana, Britty? Can we play house while we watch the movie?" Santana thought it was kind of unnecessary to play a game while they watch a movie but she didn't care as long as it made the little girl happy. Brittany nodded.

"How do you want to play, Ari?"

"Well, since you two are old," Santana pretended to be offended, making Ariana laugh. "you can be the parents. Instead of mom and dad, you can just be mom and mom so one of you doesn't have to play an icky boy." This caused both Brittany and Santana to nervously laugh. "I'll be your kid!"

"Ok, so what do we have to do?" Santana asked. She was a little afraid to find out the answer.

"You two have to cuddle, duh! That's what parents do. Well, parents that aren't divorced. I get to cuddle, too. We'll be like a family!" Santana couldn't resist the little girl. Ariana was too damn cute for her own good. Santana knew that part of this was because she missed the times when Quinn and Sam used to curl up together and watch a movie with Ariana. She looked to Brittany to see what her opinion was, hoping she wouldn't feel obligated to do anything.

"I'm game. It sounds nice." Brittany said. Ariana smiled and went to get the movie out of her bag and put it in the DVD player. Santana took this opportunity to talk to Brittany. "You know you don't have to do this. I won't mind."

"I want to, though. She just gave me an excuse to cuddle with you. I've noticed how you keep checking me out so I'm guessing you want to cuddle, too. Why would we want to waste this opportunity?" Brittany hoped that her little speech came out right. She had hoped that she would have a reason to snuggle up to Santana tonight. Even if they hadn't known each other long and it was still technically their first date, she felt safe and warm with Santana.

"Ok? Yes. Let's do it!" Santana said, happy that Brittany actually wanted this. In fact, she was so happy that she didn't even care that Brittany had noticed her gazes, even though she had sworn she was being subtle.

Ariana had returned. She had already put the movie in the DVD player just like Santana had showed her how. "Alright, time to cuddle in!"

Santana obeyed. She laid back, getting comfortable with her head on her pillow. She opened her arms out wide and crossed her legs so she was in a cross formation. Ariana cuddled into her left side as she usually did when watching a movie with Santana. Brittany looked down on the scene as she crawled over. It was probably the cutest thing she had ever seen. Picking up a blanket to cover them, she curled into Santana's right side. Santana let out a happy sigh, wrapping her arms around the two girls on her sides.

It didn't take long before Ariana's breathing evened out as she fell asleep. Brittany was still awake and watching the movie. It was one of her favorites because she loved Dori and also Squirt. She felt Santana nudge her a little and looked up at the other girl.

Brittany felt Santana's arm tighten around her and she put her right arm across Santana and pulled her close, careful not to wake the sleeping girl on the other side.

Santana took a deep breath and looked into Brittany's eyes. "Be my girlfriend?" Santana sucked in a breath and held it. She had been thinking that question and hadn't really meant to say it out loud. Now Brittany would panic at the fast past of their relationship and she just screwed it all up. _Way to fuck up, Lopez. It was going so good._

"Yes." Brittany said and she turned her head to watch the movie again, this time throwing her leg over Santana, too.

Santana's brain finally caught up. She looked down at Brittany's and whispered. "Yes? Really?"

"Yes. Really." Brittany didn't even bother to look up.

"You don't think it's too soon?" Santana had no idea what possessed her to question Brittany's answer but she did.

"I do." Brittany looked up and replied honestly. "But, I like you a lot San. Obviously you like me too otherwise you wouldn't have asked. Now shush, I love this movie." Brittany kissed Santana. The brunette quickly caught on and kissed back. Before they could get too heated, Brittany pulled back. Santana groaned in disappointment. Brittany giggled. "I don't want to wake Ari up just to make out. We can continue another time, ok?"

Santana tried to pout. It looked a little out of place because she never really pouted before but Brittany just thought it was cute. She placed another quick kiss on Santana's lips. "Suck it up. Good night, girlfriend." Santana smiled. _Girlfriend. Oh yea!_ "Good night, babe." The "babe" just slipped out of Santana's mouth. She was about to try and take it back when Brittany just grinned wider and settled back down to finish the movie.

* * *

><p>"Quinn, Mercedes, Sam, this is my friend, Kurt. Kurt, this is Quinn, Mercedes, and Sam."<p>

Kurt took the time to shake each person's hand, lingering on Sam's. Tina had been introduced to Sam before they met up with Kurt so most of the ride was spent getting to know him better. That left little time to prepare the others for Kurt.

Quinn and Mercedes were excited to meet this mysterious Kurt. They both tried to play it cool but once they saw that the man knew his fashion and actually had decent manners, they both put on their flirty smiles.

After they had found a table at a small new club, they all started talking. Kurt kept asking Sam questions and Mercedes and Quinn took this opportunity to get the dish from Tina.

"What's up with your boy, Tina?" Mercedes asked.

"What do you mean, Mercedes?" Tina was confused.

"Does he have a girlfriend?" Quinn clarified.

"No." Tina said, starting to laugh. When she noticed the other two women had confused looks, she clarified her answer. "He plays for the other team."

"Ooooh." Quinn and Mercedes said in unison, a little disappointed.

"We need to get him to come shopping with us. He's got great fashion sense." Quinn said.

"I hope he does. He runs a fashion website." Tina informed them.

"Last time we checked, Sam isn't gay. I hope he isn't too disappointed." Mercedes said.

Quinn gave her a small smack. "Of course he isn't gay. He got me pregnant!"

"Maybe you turned him gay?" Tina offered. Mercedes howled with laughter as Quinn looked shocked. Kurt and Sam turned to the girls.

"What are we missing, ladies?" Kurt asked.

"Nothing!" Tina said.

* * *

><p>A*N - Another fluffy chapter. I promise there will be angst in the future but I can never seem to stop writing BrittanaAri fluff once I start!

This chapter was brought to you by: your reviews! Since you guys responded so nicely to the last chapter and the ones before it, I had to write this one ASAP for you guys! It's because of you all that I have been updating almost every other day.

Thanks for reading! You guys should just keep being amazing. Now I'm going to go enjoy the sun. Have a great day!


	9. Chapter 9

When Santana woke up the next day, it was to blonde hair in her face and the sound of a spoon hitting a bowl. She rubbed her eyes to get the sleep out of them and noticed Ariana was sitting at the open side of the fort, eating cereal and watching cartoons.

"Ari? How long have you been up?"

Ariana didn't even look back, recognizing Santana's voice. She shrugged and said "'bout an hour or so."

"San, finally you're up sleepy head!" The blond hair that her face was still half buried in moved away, much to Santana's displeasure.

"Britt? How long have _you _been up? Why didn't anybody wake me up?"

Brittany laughed at the cuteness of Santana in the morning. Her messy hair and half open eyes. It was a sight she wouldn't mind seeing more often. "I've been up for almost as long as Ari. I woke up when she came back with her cereal and switched to the cartoon channel."

"Well obviously I'm a heavy sleeper I guess." In truth, Santana usually woke up with the smallest sound. _Maybe it has something to do with sleeping with Brittany_. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked again, realizing she didn't receive an answer before.

"I didn't want to. Ari and I had everything covered. You were so cute and every once in a while you would snuggle closer to me. I guess I was just your giant teddy bear!" Brittany leaned in to plant a kiss right on Santana's lips. It ended way too soon in Santana's opinion when Ariana had looked back.

"Gross!" The little girl laughed, causing Brittany to laugh and pull away.

"You didn't have a problem when we were all cuddly last night?" Santana challenged.

"Yea but that's different. We were playing house!" Ariana exclaimed like it was the most obvious answer ever before she faced the tv once again.

"Well girlfriend," Santana smiled when Brittany called her that, remembering that it wasn't a dream like she had been fearing. "what is your plan for today?"

Santana sighed, also remembering she had cheer practice. Suddenly the day-ruining time of the practice wasn't as great as she thought. "I've got a practice at two in the afternoon. I'm sorry."

Brittany shakes her head. "You don't have to be sorry! That works out actually. I am supposed to go meet with somebody about a possible job opening as a kind of temporary teacher's assistant for a dance session thing they are going to have."

"On a Saturday?" Santana didn't think that was exactly convenient.

"Well it was either sometime today or late at night during the week and since I'm at the bar most night, I didn't want to have the two conflict. It was just to be safe. Now I also have a certain girlfriend that I hope to see a few nights, too." Brittany smiled and cuddled back into Santana, ending the conversation for now.

Another lazy half hour went by as the three watched whatever cartoon Ariana had put on. The little girl was slowly going on her third bowl of lucky charms. Brittany was watching intently as the talking animals on the screen tried to get a turtle to come out of his shell or something. Santana was just basking in the fact that for once, her life was actually really great. Sure, she felt bad for Quinn's dud of a date last night but she was here with her _girlfriend _cuddled in her arms. She had her niece happily watching television. Yesterday, she had not received any calls that told her bad things had happened at the practice she missed.

Too soon in Santana's eyes, there was someone knocking at the door. Knowing it was Quinn she told Ariana to go change into some street clothes and she told Brittany she'd be back. Brittany nodded and went back to watching the cartoon as Ariana slowly gathered up her things while still watching as much of the show as she could.

Santana opened the door. "Hey Q."

"Santana. Is my daughter still alive?" Quinn joked.

"She is in critical condition. Sugar overload." Santana tried to keep a serious face as she said it, only barely managing.

"How much did you give her?" Now Quinn stopped playing, knowing that some night Santana would give her child so much sugar that the next day would be spent chasing after the hyperactive girl.

"Actually not much. I mean, with the way that girl eats. She had three bowls of lucky charms already but I'm pretty sure she has grown immune to the sugar in that."

"Great." Quinn says with a roll of her eyes. "Is she ready?" she asked as the two walked back to the living room. The found Ariana watching tv with her bag hanging loosely at her side. Her mouth was open as she watched as the turtle was finally starting to emerge. Santana smiled when she noticed Brittany had an excited look on her face.

"Earth to Ari!" Quinn said.

The little girl shook her head and looked to the voice. "Mommy!" She yelled out and ran and jumped into Quinn's arms. Quinn hugged the girl close before putting her back down.

"Did you have fun at Aunt Tana's?"

Ariana nodded. "Britty stayed and we went to the park, ate ice cream, played games, and watched a movie!"

"Sounds like quite the night. Go get dressed so we can get you out of Santana's hair."

Ariana scrunched up her face. "I'm not in her hair. She told me she's got razor blades in there so I'm supposed to be careful and not make her angry." The small girl shook her head as if her own mother was crazy then walked away to go change.

Quinn stood there with her mouth open in disbelief for a second before turning to Santana. "You threatened my child and told her you have razor blades in your hair?"

Santana shrugged as if it was the most normal thing to say to a five year old. "It worked. She's always settles down if I tell her she better chill out and I reach up to my hair with a warning look."

Quinn was about to reply when she was interrupted by a cheer. Looking at the television, the two women who were standing there noticed the turtle had finally come out all of the way. Brittany crawled out of the fort and saw Quinn there.

"Hey Quinn!" Brittany got up to hug her. "Your daughter is just the cutest thing ever!"

"Thank you Brittany. Did you have a good time last night?" Quinn said with a smirk to Santana. The look was lost on Brittany who just nodded enthusiastically.

"Can we tell her?" Brittany looked to Santana.

"Tell me what?" Quinn asked, slightly scared to find out in case it had something to do with her daughter being bad or getting injured.

"Go for it." Santana smiled to reassure Quinn who was starting to get scared of how much her friend had been smiling this morning.

"We're dating! Girlfriend and girlfriend!" As if to emphasize her point, she pulled Santana into a bone crushing hug and kissed her on the cheek, making Santana looking away almost shyly.

"Wow." That was the only thing that Quinn could say. She was happy for the two but surprised at Santana looking shy. With past girlfriends, if you could even call them that, she had no shame in practically screwing the girls in front of people but a kiss had made her turn the faintest shade of pink. _She can blush? I didn't know that was possible!_

"You don't sound happy." Brittany noted sadly. "Do you not want me to date Santana?"

Santana snapped her head up to glare at Quinn. She gave the woman a look that clearly said "Don't fuck this up for me Fabray."

Quinn sighed a little, happy to recognize the real Santana in there somewhere. "That's not it at all Brittany. I am ecstatic for you two but I'm surprised to see Satan, I mean Santana, so tame."

Brittany smiled back at Quinn before turning to whisper to Santana. "Ecstatic is good, right?" Santana nodded back reassuringly, wrapping her arm around Brittany's waist and giving it a squeeze.

Ariana trudged back into the room. "Mommy they've been doing that all night and all morning."

"Doing what?" Santana asked.

"You two have been all cutesy cuddly. Like kittens or puppies." Ariana said nodding in approval of her comparison.

"Aww Satan is a kitten!" Quinn laughed while Santana looked thoroughly flustered. _I'm a badass and now this kid just compared me to a tiny ass kitten. What the fuck?_ Santana was a little flustered. That is until Brittany spoke up.

"I love kittens! They are so cute!" Santana didn't even care that cute had been spoken in her apartment more in the past 24 hours then ever in her life after Brittany said that. Maybe being a kitten wasn't so bad.

"Well, we better get going. I promised Sam that all three of us could do something today. I'm a little scared to find out what he has planned." Quinn said.

"We're going to hang out with Daddy? Like _both_ of us?" Ariana looked extremely excited. She loved hanging out with both of her parents but it didn't happen as often as she'd like.

"If that's ok with you, Ari?" Quinn directed towards her daughter.

"Yesterday with Britty and Tana and today with Mommy _and _Daddy? This is like, the best weekend ever!" Ariana beamed. "Let's go! Bye Britty and Bye Aunt Tana!"

The small girl surprised everyone by jumping over and hugging Brittany tightly around the legs. Brittany peeled her off then kneeled down to get on her level before pulling her back in to hug her properly. Santana and Quinn couldn't help but grin when they saw the other two blonde trying to squeeze the life out of each other.

"Thanks for staying Britty. I like you, you're lots of fun! Will I get to see you again?" Ariana suddenly turned a little shy. She wasn't a dumb kid, far from it. She had heard the whispers about her aunt before and how her girlfriends never stuck around long.

"I surely hope so, Ari. You're lots of fun, too." Brittany gave her another squeeze before standing up.

Ariana seemed satisfied with Brittany's answer for now and turned to Santana. The brunette wasted no time in picking up the girl and holding her close while spinning in fast circles. She stopped and looked over to see Quinn and Brittany smiling and chatting to each other. Santana took this opportunity to whisper in Ariana's ear. "You know, you pretty much single-handedly got me that beautiful girl over there. I owe you a lot even if you didn't even mean to do it. We'll do something special soon, ok?"

Ariana agreed. "You're welcome. I can't wait. Will Britty come with?" she asked, uncertain.

"Do you want her to?" Santana replied with another question, happy when Ariana nodded. "Then I will definitely ask her to, for now you need to go have fun with your parents. Be a good girl, though, ok?" Ariana nodded again before throwing her arms around Santana and giving her one last hug before she was put back down again.

"Ready, Mommy!" Ariana said as she clung to her mother's leg, looking up at her.

"Well it was good to see you again Brittany. Congratulations you two. Santana, it's nice to see you smiling so much for once." Quinn winked before she walked out.

"Bye Fabray!" Santana yelled to the retreating form of her best friend. She was a little embarrassed now that her goofy as hell grinning was pointed out. When she heard the front door close again, she turned to Brittany. "Finally!"

Brittany giggled and grabbed Santana's hand.

"What are you doing?" Santana questioned.

Brittany didn't answer. Instead, she kept pulling Santana towards the fort. _Crap. I'll have to clean this up later._ Santana thought but her thoughts were soon interrupted as she was being brought to lay down where she had slept last night.

"What's goin-" Santana was about to ask before she was cut off by Brittany's lips on hers. When Brittany pulled away she laughed at Santana. The brunette still had her eyes closed and was licking her lips, trying to salvage the taste of Brittany's lip gloss.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Brittany asked. Santana opened her eyes and gave her a weird look.

"How romantic of you, Britt." She said sarcastically. "Not that I'm complaining, but why were we kissing down in this fort when I have a perfectly good bed we can go sleep some more on?"

"You're tired still? I guess you can go back to sleep." Brittany shrugged playfully. "I brought you here because we had some alone time and we could make out but if that's what you want…" Brittany trailed off and started to moved to stand up but was quickly pulled back down.

"Well in that case, I'm wide awake." Santana smiled as she pulled Brittany back down.

Santana stayed on her back while she pulled Brittany's top half to lay on top of her. She tried to keep their legs from tangling together, knowing she would end up wanting more but not wanting to rush. _When have I ever in my life thought that before?_ Brittany allowed herself to be pulled over more on the other girl. They continued to kiss slowly. Santana's hands were running up and down Brittany's bare back where the tank top had rode up. Brittany tangled her hands in Santana's hair, relishing in the feel of Santana's hands on her skin. _She's going slow compared to other girls if what Tina heard from Mercedes is true. The other girls were fast and over quickly so I hope this is a good sign. I really like her. _Brittany thought, remembering what Tina had told her previously.

Brittany deepened the kiss by pushing her tongue into Santana's mouth, which she didn't seem to mind at all. They both moaned at the first feel of each other's tongues, happy to have finally gotten the chance to do this. Everything else seemed to happen so fast. They had an instant connection from the start, the conversation flowed easily, and the title was official after two days. Brittany had hoped for a slow build up but after everything this was probably as slow as it could be for them.

After about a half hour of making out, both girls were thoroughly heated and pulled away. "You're a really good kisser." Brittany pointed out.

Santana smiled. "You are, too. You're also really fucking hot." Santana smacked Brittany's ass playfully. "I think we have places to be." Santana hated having to part from Brittany but they both had to work and get money. Brittany put on her best pout that left Santana slowly crumbling

"Briiiiittt." Santana whined."Stop that. I can hardly resist you as it is!" Santana closed her eyes and turned her head away stubbornly, showing she wasn't giving in.

Brittany relented. "You're right. I just love spending time with you." Brittany scooted down and pulled her head into Santana's neck. She wrapped her long arms around the girl's waist and underneath her to give her a big bear hug. Santana happily returned it.

After a few minutes of hugging and just enjoying being together, Brittany reluctantly got up. "I suppose I better go home and shower and change and all that good stuff."

"Yea you stink!" Santana said, getting up as well. She was on her knees when Brittany pushed her back over. "Hey!"

"That's what you get!" Brittany said. She waited until Santana got up again before leaning in for a quick kiss. "Do you want help cleaning all of this up?"

"No I think I'm just going to clean it up after practice. I think I can handle it." Santana flexed the muscles in her arms, showing off. "You want tickets to the gun show?"

Brittany laughed. "You'll have to find some guns first."

"Oh aren't you funny. Don't be jealous of my hot body." Santana pretended to be offended.

"I'm not jealous cause it's all mine." Brittany said, taking her turn to reach around and give Santana a smack on her ass.

Santana raised an eyebrow, as if to say "Oh really?" Brittany just nodded. "Oh yeah. You better keep it that way until I see you next time, ok?" Brittany asked.

"For sure." Santana agreed as they walked towards the front door.

"I don't want to leave." Brittany admitted.

"I don't want you to. Maybe I should just kidnap you and lock you up in my closet or something." Santana was kidding but after that make out session her thoughts started going wild with fantasies. _Damn, I'm kind of kinky._

"I'll see you later. Bye San." Brittany gave her one last kiss before turning to walk out the door.

"Bye babe!" This time Santana didn't care about calling Brittany that since she didn't seem to mind last night. She stood at the door for a second, acting like a total creeper as she check out Brittany's ass some more as the girl walked away before finally turning and closing the door to get ready.

XXXXX

When Santana arrived at practice, the girls were already halfway through their usual warm up routine. She took her clipboard out and looked through her roster to see if everybody was there. She noticed two girls missing and that usually spelled bad news for them.

"BRITNEY!"

The blonde cheerleader passed off leading the stretches to her best friend then sprinted over to where Santana was standing. "Yes, Coach?"

"I noticed we have some absentees. Two to be exact. Do you know their whereabouts?"

Britney shook her head. "No ma'am."

A nearby cheerleader overheard the conversation. Andrea wasn't exactly Britney's biggest fan because the head cheerleader often picked on her. When she heard the head cheerleader telling her coach lies, she saw her opportunity for revenge.

Practice continued as normal. Since Santana was in a relatively good mood thanks to Brittany, she let the squad go earlier than what time they normally stopped.

The squad looked to each other and smiled, thankful that they were getting a break. While most of them headed straight back to the locker rooms, eager to continue their weekend, Andrea stayed behind. She sat on the ground and took of her ankle brace, something she usually did in the locker room. When the only person left on the field was her and her coach, she made her move.

"Coach Lopez?"

"Yes," Santana took a second to think. "Andrea."

Andrea nodded, confirming Santana's guess. "I don't want to cause trouble but I know Britney wasn't entirely truthful earlier."

Santana suddenly became very interested in the conversation. She hated being lied to, especially by her head cheerleaders. "Go on."

"Yesterday she pushed us farther than even you have. We were doing more tosses and lifts and doing them higher and more complicated than before. Britney said it would be good for us and that you would be proud so we kept at it."

Santana was slowly getting angry. She had just wanted them to run through the routines a few times and get some more conditioning in. She knew how to push her squad and she knew when to give them time. This was definitely not leading anywhere good.

"Well, for one formation, we were doing a pyramid type of thing with a toss over the top." Santana cringed, already knowing that that was beyond what this squad could do at the moment. They were pretty young for a squad after a certain party was busted and half of her older girls were caught and suspended.

Andrea seemed reluctant to go on. "What happened? Tell me right now."

"Hailey was the flyer who was going to go over the pyramid," Santana noted the name of one missing girl. "and Jasmine was at the top of the pyramid." Santana figured out what had happened when she heard the name of the other missing girl. "They tossed Hailey and she panicked because she didn't think she was tossed high enough. She kind of flailed and kicked Jasmine in the face." Santana cringed, that couldn't have felt very good. "They pyramid kind of came crashing down after Jasmine screamed and the people who were set up to catch Hailey were distracted. She fell to the ground and hurt her ankle."

Santana assumed the girls were at home nursing their injuries or possibly even getting some dental work done in Jasmine's case. She was glad Andrea came to tell her this but knew the girl had ulterior motives and wasn't doing it for Santana's benefit.

"Thank you Andrea. I appreciate you telling me what happened. Now go get changed and go home."

Andrea ran off the field, confident that Britney would get in trouble for this. Santana walked back into the school just in time to see her blonde head cheerleader coming out of the locker room.

"Britney! My office. Now!" Santana was furious and Britney could see this was not going to be good.

"Please, sit." Britney was even more scared now that Santana had said please. The coach being polite was probably worse than when she was screaming.

"I was told some interesting information about the possible whereabouts of the missing girls." Britney gulped. _Who told?_ "I am very disappointed in what I heard about practice yesterday. I expected a phone call or something if anything went wrong. I woke up this morning confident that nothing had happened. I come today to find out that you were pushing my squad to do things they are incapable of. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Santana was proud of herself for managing to stay fairly calm. She knew it scared the kids more when she did that.

"I just want us to be the best!" Britney sobbed. She knew she was in danger of being kicked off the squad or punished in some way. "I thought we were strong and I wanted to show you we were. I had been doing research on moves that impressed people more and there were some that I thought we could do! I'm sorry!" Britney wiped at some of her tears.

Santana took in what was said for a second. She had already made her decision before she came in but it was interesting to hear the girl defending herself. The tears were something she could have done without, however. "Crying will not help your case. It shows that you are not strong enough to be my head cheerleader. Also, your inability to be honest with me had shown me that you aren't even good enough to be a cheerleader of mine. You are kicked off the squad. I expect your uniforms on Monday and I want your locker cleaned out. Now Good-bye."

"No Coach! Please! I need to be head cheerleader. I NEED IT!" Britney begged, trying to stop her tears. "It's what makes my parents proud, please!"

"My decision is final. Next time you want to lie to somebody now you might think twice. Leave."

Britney screamed in frustration and ran out of the office. Santana sighed and put her head in her hands. It was kind of tough to do that because Britney was probably one of the best head cheerleaders she had in recent years. She hasn't had this job long but she knew ruthless people who would do her bidding were kind of hard to come by. Now she had to find a new head cheerleader. To lighten her mood, she texted Brittany.

**Just had to kick my head cheerleader of my squad. Not fun. Hope ur interview goes great, which it will bc ur amazing! and I already miss u - xoxo San.**

Santana put her phone down on her desk, knowing Brittany was probably busy with the interview and wouldn't text back for awhile. To work off some of her extra steam, she went to go in the back room and work out.

XXXXX

Brittany had arrived at the school a little nervous. She was about to enter the gym where her meeting was when she felt her phone vibrate with a text. Quickly reading it, she smiled. She already missed Santana as well and though she felt bad about her losing her head cheerleader, she was happy for the encouragement. She decided to text back after and went inside.

There was an older woman in there in shorts and a polo. She put on a confident smile, despite her nerves, and walked up. "Hi, I'm Brittany Pierce."

"Hello Brittany. I'm Coach Shannon Beiste. Thank you for coming today."

"It's no problem. I was told you wanted to interview me for a possible dance instructor position?"

"Yes! As well as coaching, I teach physical education at this school and the board members have decided that I should include dance into my lessons. I am not much of a dancer, so I figured I would call in some reinforcements." Coach Beiste said with a smile. "I heard you are pretty good."

"I don't know about that. I just love to dance and I love kids so I thought it might be a nice fit for me." Brittany was encouraged by how nice Coach Beiste was and she started to relax.

"Would you mind showing me a few moves? Just so I know you dance better than me?"

Brittany pulled out her phone and started to play some music. She set it down on the ground along with her purse and moved away to get some room. After only about a minute of dancing, Coach Beiste started clapping. Brittany reached down to turn off the music.

"Hired!" Coach Beiste exclaimed happily and pulled Brittany in for a hug. Since hugs were kind of Brittany's thing she already knew she'd do the job and hugged back.

"Thank you so much!"

"You will be teaching kindergarten through third grade. I will be here for each class sitting on the sidelines just in case. Is that ok with you?"

"Sounds perfect!" Brittany shook Coach Beiste's hand before collecting all of the information she needed and then left. As soon as she was out of the door, she called Santana.

"San! Guess what?"

"Hey babe. Um…you got the job?"

"Yes! How did you know? Are you psychic? Why didn't you tell me that's so cool!"

Santana laughed. "No Britt, I'm not psychic. After seeing you dance the other night at the bar, I'd be damned if they didn't hire you. You're amazing!"

"Thanks San. You're so sweet."

"Only for you." Santana smiled to herself, knowing it was the truth.

"I have to work tonight but will you come to the bar so we can celebrate?"

"Of course. What time?"

"I start at eight but maybe we could hang out a little bit before then if you're not busy."

"That sounds like just what I need after the practice I had."

Brittany felt bad. She had such a fantastic morning with Santana and now she was hired for a job and she had forgotten all about Santana's day after she left.

"Oh I forgot about that. I'm sorry, San. You don't have to come out."

"No, I want to spend time with you. That will probably be the best remedy for me right now. I'm going to finish a few things up and then I'll text you, ok?"

"Ok, bye San!"

"Bye Britt."

Brittany hung up. She thought for a bit about how her life had suddenly picked up. She hadn't gotten the job that she auditioned for but now she had this one with the school. She would be able to hang out with adorable kids all day. Now she also had Santana. She had started to hear about Santana's reputation through Tina who had found out through Mercedes, Quinn, and even Sam. It had worried her a little before she went on the date yesterday but Santana has proved to be nothing but a gentleman. _Well, a woman-gentleman. Gentlewoman? _

Brittany started on her way home with a skip in her step, excited to see Santana again soon.

XXXXX

A*N - This chapter may seem like a filler but it's actually relevant to the storyline so don't be disappointed!

Also, my internet is broken so I'm hoping I'll be able to upload this through my phone somehow. If it looks weird or anything I apologize but I wanted to try to put it up as soon as I could because of all of the reviews I got for the last chapter! If it wasn't for them I would probably just wait…

Thanks for being amazing people and reading this story. You all make me smileee! J


	10. Chapter 10

It's been two weeks since that Saturday. Two of the happiest, _Wow, that's fucking cheesy_, weeks of Santana's life. She dares to take a minute to take it all in. After kicking Britney off of her squad, the blonde girl's best friend Tia takes over. Nobody had really stuck out to Santana, so the easy choice was the girl who had often helped her previous captain with her duties.

Things with Brittany were going good. They had both managed to stop with some super sexy make out sessions and not do the deed yet. It had taken a lot of self control but both girls knew it would be worth it.

Speaking of the blonde, she had started her new job at the elementary school. On her first day, she became popular with the kids, especially one special kindergartener. Ariana was equally ecstatic to find out Britty was helping to teach the dance part of her gym class. Every once in awhile Brittany would grab some coffee and a snack with Quinn when she came to pick up Ariana when school got out. On other days, Santana would pick up her two blondes with a huge smile on her face and they would go get ice cream or do something fun.

Brittany had kept Santana up to date with the latest gossip that included their friends. The trio of girls had all become close with Tina. Mercedes had become closer to Kurt, both happy to have a friend that knows fashion. The trio of Santana, Mercedes, and Quinn only briefly met Rachel when she came back to visit. Her stay was cut short by her manager, who was able to get her some solo events without her costar. Puck and Finn had started to join their table at their new favorite bar on a regular basis. Puck was a plus because he often gave them free rounds of drinks, never letting them forget who owned the place.

Tina officially broke up with Artie and she was staying at Brittany and Rachel's apartment. Much to everybody's surprise, she had gone out on a few dates with Sam. The two were fairly busy with their differing schedules but in two weeks they have successfully had three dates.

Kurt and Mercedes had been searching for their own loves. Kurt found his current crush in a man named James, a male-model who he put together a few outfits for during a photo shoot. They had been texting quite a bit but nothing serious had yet come of it.

Mercedes had went out on a limb and took Puck up on his flirting. It took some serious cracking down to get that man in line. Their somewhat relationship was off to a rocky start, mainly due to Puck having some difficulty when it came to changing his ways. Mercedes stayed firm, hoping for the best but ready to cut ties if it all became too much.

This pairing had caused an interesting conversation between Santana and Puck. Puck tried to play his big brother part, telling Santana that he would find one of his crazy ex girlfriends to beat her ass if she hurt Brittany because he wouldn't hit a girl. Santana responded by saying that he wouldn't have full use of his penis if he hurt Mercedes. Both had respected each other's wishes so far.

The two that were seemingly left behind were Finn and Quinn. Finn had definitely tried to ask Quinn out on multiple occasions, only to be turned down. It wasn't that Quinn didn't think Finn was cute or anything but she was looking for more than what he had to offer. Having a child changed her priorities in a man and while Finn was somebody she would've dating in high school, now she was different. She wanted a partner with a stable job, who was good with kids, and didn't eat bar food.

This Saturday night found the entire gang at Puck's. Tonight was a karaoke night in celebration of Finn going a whole week without having to pay for spilled or broken bottles.

Santana was slightly disappointed in this fact. The main, and pretty much only, reason being that on karaoke nights, the waitresses didn't have to dance. Brittany had been dancing more and more every night they were out at the bar and she would often stand in a place that gave Santana the perfect view of her sexy moves.

"San, you're a great singer. Why don't you sing a song?"

"Britt, I don't think so. I'm way too good for some amateur night at some skeezy bar."

"Hey!" Puck said, offended at the insult.

"Suck it up, Noah." Santana had taken to calling the man by his first name to annoy him even more. If it wasn't for Brittany's friendship with him, he would be called various other names.

"Hey, I work here!" Brittany said, ignoring their conversation and instead focusing on her place of work getting insulted.

"Ok babe, I'm sorry." Puck made a whipping noise, complete with the motion towards her. "Buuuut, it is kind of skeezy. The waitresses are half naked and they dance sexily to taunt the customers."

"You weren't complaining last night when I gave you a private preview of upcoming dances." Brittany grinned. Puck held his mouth open, wishing he could have been there.

Santana rolled her eyes playfully. "It's cause I'm your girlfriend so it's perfectly okay for me to stare at your sexy ass, especially when you move the way you do. I mean, just, wanky."

"How come you never show me previews? They are my girls after all…" Puck said, hopeful on getting access to what Santana's getting.

"Puck you me to start showing you?" Brittany teased, however it was lost on Puck.

"Yes!" Puck high fived a not so enthused, but still there, Finn.

Just as Puck was in the middle of dishing out more high fives from Sam, Brittany couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing as she scooted closer to Santana in the booth. Santana didn't like her being so close beside her and instead put her arm around the girl's back and clutched her legs, swinging her up to sit on her lap. She let out a sigh, happy to have her girl in her lap and possessively wrapping her arms around said girl's waist.

"You wish, Noah. This," She squeezed Brittany and they shared a quick kiss. "is all mine. Plus, don't you have a girlfriend?" She nodded towards Mercedes.

"She knows she's number wah." Puck turned and tried to initiate a kiss with his girlfriend. Mercedes dodged it. "Oh hell to the no, man-whore. Get your shit together."

Puck sulked down in his seat. These recent events made Finn smile and even laugh shyly while eyeing Quinn. Quinn was ignoring him for the most part and talking to Sam about where they should take Ariana tomorrow.

"Everybody still good here?" Tina came up to ask. She was working but every chance she got she would come up and say hi to everybody and sneak a hug or quick kiss in with Sam.

"We're all fine, thank you!" Kurt said. He was a little buzzed and said everything with an air of excitement that rivaled Brittany's when she was told she was getting a surprise or gift.

Tina just nodded in understanding before turning away. "Let me know if you do."

"Pleaaassseee, San." Brittany whined and put on one of her best pouts.

"Nope. I think I am getting sick." Santana faked a cough attack, hoping that will be enough to get her off the hook for the evening. She didn't mind singing for Brittany because she knew she was kick ass, it was just that she didn't feel like making everybody else feel bad about themselves when they wouldn't be able to compare to her. _Always stay modest. That's what I never say._

"Well I guess if you're getting sick that means we can't kiss or anything. I wouldn't want to catch whatever you have." Brittany moved to slide off of Santana's lap, turning her head away to hide her smirk.

Santana immediately tightened her grip. "Oh you're not going _anywhere_. I'm perfectly fine so feel free to give me all the lovin' you want."

"With pleasure." Brittany smiled as she pulled Santana in for a much less chaste kiss.

"Get it, Lopez!" Puck pumped his fist. Mercedes smacked his arm. "What did I do now?"

"Cheering them on? I love my girl and if that's what makes her happy she can go for it. I just don't think you should enjoy it because I'm mad at you." Mercedes pulled her straw into her mouth and took a big gulp of her drink. "I'll show you guys how a diva gets down." Mercedes then got up and walked over to the makeshift stage, looking through the songs while everybody waited for the current drunk man singing "Sweet Home Alabama" to get done.

When it was her turn, Mercedes stepped up to the mic oozing confidence, just as Santana would. It was part of the reason they were such good friends. Their duets back in high school were legendary. Everybody was eager to hear what song she picked. It didn't take long for them to hear "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in a voice that rivaled Diana Ross. The table and a good portion of the bar went wild with cheers, all admiring the voice being thrown out at them. Brittany wiggled in Santana's lap, grooving along with the song. Santana swayed while listening, eyes on Brittany. The others did their own little head bobs and thigh slaps, trying to keep along with the powerful voice of their friend.

When she was done she walked back over to their table. "That's how I get down."

"Damn you got pipes, girl. Diana Ross brought that back in the 70s but you just brought it to new heights." Puck complimented. He actually was blown away but he wanted to earn brownie points.

"I know this. Satan used to be a great singer too but I guess she must be washed up now." Mercedes just smiled in reply to Santana's angry expression. She knew it would make the other girl want to prove her wrong.

"Well Weezy, as a matter of fact, I am not washed up. I will show everybody how its really done. I didn't smoke those cigars in high school just to look badass. Get up, babe." Brittany moved off of Santana's lap where she had grown quite comfortable. Santana turned around for a last kiss, then moved to find a song.

Soon after another interesting version of Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" by an obviously drunk older woman, Santana stepped up and waited for the music to start.

Brittany's excitement grew as she recognized one of her favorite songs. "Rockstar 101" by Rihanna started and she could feel her pulse speed up.

When Santana started singing, she looked Brittany dead in the eyes and winked. After that, she kept on with the song and soon enough she was dancing. Brittany was both proud and surprised to find Santana using some of the moves she's been privately showing her and the ones she has taught the other girls. _So she does actually pay attention to what I'm doing, not just how I look when I do it._ Brittany was also happy to realize that Santana could pull of those moves while singing and slightly buzzed from alcohol and do them better than most of the other girls she taught.

Puck and Finn both watched with their mouths open. Quinn and Mercedes were smiling, seeing the confident Santana they knew well coming out again. Sam was happy to hear the girl sing because while she may be a bitch, her voice was amazing. Tina had leaned into Sam's arms to watch the performance, having meandered over while Mercedes was singing. Santana didn't even register their reactions though. She was too busy eye sexing Brittany up.

When she was done, there were cheers throughout the bar, just like for Mercedes. Their own table was going wild again, obviously proud to have the two best singers of the night there.

"How'd you all like it? You know what? Don't even say it because I know you loved it." Santana said and she walked back over to sit by Brittany. The others started arguing over who should sing next and what songs should be sung while Brittany and Santana had their own conversation.

"Did you like it?" Santana asked with a cocky smile. On the inside, her insecurities were showing themselves. _I hope she did, I mean it was for her. That was some good eye sex so I can't imagine why she wouldn't._

Brittany looked thoughtful for a minute while trying to decide what to say. It made Santana nervous but she tried not to show it. Finally, Brittany seemed to find the right words. "It was hot. Like, _really _hot. You should totally sing all of the time."

Santana just smiled smugly, her ego was immediately boosted at the only person she really wanted to hear from at that moment's praise.

"Can I stay over tonight?" Brittany asked, biting her lip after the words tumbled out.

"Um. Let me think. Hell fucking yes." Santana smiled. Brittany hadn't stayed over as much as she liked in the past two weeks. After the sleepover, she had stayed a total of two other times. Since Tina moved in with the other two girls, Brittany didn't want to make her stay alone because Rachel wasn't there anymore either. Anytime the blonde asked if she could, Santana wasn't going to refuse.

"Can I?" Puck earned himself another smack upside the head from his girlfriend. "Shut up, fool." Mercedes sent a smile towards Santana and then another glare towards Puck.

After another hour or so, it was almost closing time for the bar. Quinn left first, deciding the babysitter couldn't wait much longer. Sam left a short while after, saying he wanted to actually be alive tomorrow to take Ariana out with Quinn. Mercedes stayed, hoping to spend more time with Puck. Finn, Santana, and Brittany left together, parting ways outside.

Brittany hopped into the passenger side of Santana's car, happy to be alone with her girlfriend without having to talk over the noise and bad singers in the bar.

"I don't have pajamas." Brittany said.

"That's ok. I'll find you something." _Or we can sleep naked._

"Yay!" Brittany clapped, excited for another sweet lady sleepover. "I'm excited." Brittany voiced her feelings.

"Me, too." Santana replied honestly. Seeing Brittany was easily the best part of her day and she couldn't wait to cuddle up with the beautiful girl. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing!" Brittany answered, hoping Santana would suggest something to do with them together.

"Well, why don't we sleep in and then stay in my bed and watch movies all day? I want to relax." Santana said with a shrug of her shoulders, praying Brittany would like that idea. They always saw each other but it was usually at the bar or somebody would be with them. Santana just wanted alone time.

"Sounds perfect! Can we go out at least once during the day to feed the ducks though?"

Santana nodded and Brittany squealed with happiness. The rest of the drive to Santana's place was filled with both girls singing out the songs on the radio.

They arrived and realized that they actually were very tired. Both took turns going to the bathroom before heading to Santana's room. Brittany sat on the bed while Santana walked into her closet. It was only then that she remembered she didn't have much for clean clothes. She had meant to do laundry yesterday but Brittany had called and she was so much better than washing dirty clothes.

"Um Britt? I don't have many clean clothes so do you mind wearing something that's been worn one already?" Santana asked, hoping Brittany didn't think she was a slob or anything.

"Why don't we just sleep in our underwear?" Brittany asked innocently. She really wouldn't have cared if she had to wear something Santana's worn, especially when it had the high chance of smelling like her girlfriend. This was actually just a quick idea of hers that would allow her to feel some skin on skin cuddling. She may not be ready for all out sex, still very slightly wary about Santana's previous reputation, but cuddling was her favorite so less clothes would make it more fun, right?

Santana didn't know how to reply. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle Brittany laying with her in just her underwear. That image gave her the answer she was looking for, though. "Yea that sounds good."

Brittany and Santana had never been shy about their bodies. Both knew they looked great and had no shame in the way they looked. However, as they both slowly stripped, they wore matching shy smiles. Santana was glad she wore her red lacy bra and matching boy shorts tonight.

Santana crawled in first, enjoying the sight of Brittany walking up to join her. The blonde wore a black bra with cute batman underwear that made Santana giggle. It was just another adorable thing about Brittany and she would admit that her girlfriend made those superhero underwear look super sexy.

"My hero." Santana joked as Brittany settled in with her, each girl wrapping their arms around the other.

Brittany smiled in response. "I can be your hero, baby. I can kiss away the pain."

"Really?" Santana laughed. "You're going to serenade me with Enrique?"

"Well, you sang for me so I'm returning the favor." Before Santana could say anything else, Brittany leaned in for a kiss.

_Brittany's kisses. My favorite._ Santana thought as she let her hands roam over exposed skin. They made out for a half hour before Brittany pulled away and yawned.

"Oh come on. If my kisses are boring you could just say something." Santana pretended to be offended. Brittany's eyes just widened as she tried to stop her yawn from continuing.

"No it's not that!" Brittany finally managed to say. "It's just been a long week."

Santana kissed the other girl's nose. "It's ok. I know what you mean. Let's just go to sleep, ok?" Brittany nodded and enjoyed the feeling of Santana resting her head on her shoulder as the brunette scooted closer.

"Good night, San. Don't let the dreams bite."

Santana chuckled, not bothering to correct Brittany. "Night, Britt. I-" _C'mon wimp. Just say it. It's three words and this is probably the first girl you'll mean it with._ "I hope you sleep well." _'I hope you sleep well.' Way to fucking be. You sound like a grandma. Oh well, no use now. She's already asleep and you blew it. Get some rest before you manage to do something else stupid._

Santana fell asleep, trying to ignore her own thoughts.

* * *

><p>True to their word, the girls spent the next day watching movies, only stopping for a quick trip to the pond. They had a system where Santana could pick out an action or scary movie and then Brittany got to pick out a happy movie after they watched it. Santana picked out her favorite scary movies, mostly just to feel Brittany cling tight to her and cuddle closer to shield her eyes for the worst parts.<p>

Too soon, it was Sunday night and they had to say good-bye but made plans to meet up after school tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Monday morning Santana sent her usual good morning text to Brittany before quickly getting ready for her day. She was a little late, which was becoming quite typical for her as of recently. She didn't even have a chance to go to her office and opted to just go straight to the field.<p>

Many of her squad members were lounging around on the grass. Tia lacked the leadership of Britney and therefore it was harder for her to get the squad moving. When they saw Santana, they moved quickly to look like they were doing something. Unfortunately, they all moved to do different things, showing how unorganized they were.

"Really, guys? I have faith in you to be able to get through damn warm up routines before I get ready and you are LAYING AROUND? What will it take to get it through your heads that this is NOT how a WINNING squad works? I want ten laps."

Groans of protest were heard but everybody moved quickly to start on their laps. Santana looked around and saw the parking lot from where she stood on the field. When she pulled in today, she had thought she'd seen a familiar car and wondered what it was doing here so early. She waved to Mercedes who happened to pull up and Santana's eyes followed her for a second before finally spotting the car she was looking for.

"Britney? What's she doing here so early?" Santana asked herself.

She shook it off as she looked down to check her roster. Jasmine and Hailey were both back and had healed for the most part. Hailey was given a brace to match Andrea's and Jasmine had to get a fake tooth. Other than that, her squad was back. A new member had been brought on to replace Britney but obviously lacked the skill that the former head cheerleader had brought with her. Santana sighed, kind of regretting her decision to kick the other girl off when she had such little to work with already.

Soon enough, it was about time for school to start so Santana dismissed her squad. They all trudged back up to the school to try to shower quickly to make themselves presentable for school instead of the sweat soaked workers they looked like. Santana walked back with them, bringing up the rear while she looked over the notes she made during practice.

It was only when she got down to the hallway that housed her office that she looked up and noticed something was off.

Her office door was open. The light was on. It wasn't like that when she last left it.

Cautiously, she walked up to the door. Inside, she recognized the principal. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized it wasn't anything set out to kill her or something. It was too early to deal with that kind of shit.

Santana walked in confidently but her steps faltered a little when she saw the tear streaked face of Britney standing beside the principal. It was then she noticed they were behind her desk, an open drawer in front of them.

"What's going on here?" Santana asked, genuinely curious. She didn't have anything incriminating in her drawers the last time she checked. Unlike most teachers around here, she kept her booze at home and she didn't smoke or do any kind of drugs. "Britney?"

Britney let out a loud sob as she looked at Santana and turned into the arms of the Principal who was looking angrily at Santana. "Ms. Lopez. I am disappointed in you."

Now Santana was starting to get pissed. "What the hell is going on?"

"Britney here has come forward with some information. She told me what you did to her and what you were planning to do to Tia." Santana took a step forward, arching an eyebrow up as if to say "go on."

"She told me what you made her do while she was your head cheerleader. We do not take kindly to pedophiles at this school." Mr. Jordan, the principal, then pulled out a couple pairs of women's underwear out of the drawer.

"I've never seen those before. Where the hell did those come from?" Santana asked, furious at what was being implied here. She looked to the girl who was still clinging to the principal and saw her smirk up from behind the man's arm before letting out another sob.

"Britney told us of your little collection of souvenirs in your drawer. They have her name on some of them and I can imagine the others are not yours either."

"She touched me! She t-told me she was going to do it to Tia to and that she did it to all of her head cheerleaders!" Britney cried out.

"Santana, the evidence against you suggests that what she says is true. I want to set up an investigation and I will but you have to leave the premises."

"She's telling lies again! That bitch isn't being honest with you! I have a girlfriend and I don't have a weird freakish fetish for young girls!"

"MS. LOPEZ! I must ask you to refrain from profanity and raising your voice to me. This is a serious accusation and I talked over the possible consequences with Britney and she still admitted it was true. I can not take this lightly. I will not ask you to leave again. If you need anything from your office, please take it now while I am here to supervise and then you must leave."

Santana only grabbed one thing and that was the picture of Brittany that she had taped to her computer screen. She threw down her keyboard on the desk before turning to leave. She stopped at the door to turn around and say one last thing.

"You know, Britney? I actually was going to ask you to come back to my squad later today and I was planning to forgive and forget your dishonesty." She shook her head at the surprised look on the other girl's face. "It's too late now because you've probably just ruined my life."

With one final look at Mr. Jordan, Santana nodded and then made her exit.

* * *

><p>A*N - Soooo I'm sorry for being late with this update. I know most of you won't care why it was late and just want to read the chapter but I wanted to explain myself. Reasons why I was late: 1: Took a day to fix my internet, a real feat in itself. 2: Fireworks, which I cannot resist. 3: I actually wandered over to the kink meme to work on my smut writing. 4 and Finally: BRITTANAHEYA KISS RIOT. Yea, I started this way earlier today and then BAM! Brittana tour kisses and I'm dying. It took me a while to get my mind back on writing this so my apologies!

I'm happy to hear that the last chapter uploaded fine from my phone. I was a bit worried about that.

Anyways, I'll leave you to your lives now, thanks for taking the time to read this! I love you, Brittana fandom!


	11. Chapter 11

_What did I do to deserve this? Was it because I cut in front of that old lady in line at the grocery store the other day? Brittany wanted some juice and I wasn't about to make her wait for it. C'mon. Can I not get a fucking break?_

Santana was pissed to say the least. She sped out of the school parking lot, Brittany's picture now tucked into the visor of her car. She would've taped it to the dash but now the tape wasn't very sticky anymore, which pissed her off more than it should have. The car had only been in motion for a few blocks before Santana had to pull over. Taking the picture out again, she stared into the blue eyes that were shining in the picture. The smile that pulled her own lips into one of their own.

_Who am I kidding? This _is _what I deserve. Brittany isn't. I don't deserve this wonderful, beautiful, selfless woman. _

Santana tried to reign in her emotions but a tear drop still fell, right on to picture-Brittany's neck. She stared at the picture for awhile longer as silent teardrops fell. It was weird to know that before Brittany, she would've lashed out even more than she had in her office. Before Brittany, she probably would've applauded Britney's final actions as head cheerleader. Before Brittany, she wouldn't be silently crying in her car like her old guidance counselor did on more than one occasion. _Oh God, I'm just as bad as Ms. Pillsbury!_

Two weeks, give or take a few days, and she was a different woman, all because of the girl in this picture. Santana briefly wondered if she had changed Brittany at all. The girl was still just as bubbly and happy as when she had first met her. If it wasn't for her ex acting particularly slutty that night, Brittany would still just be another person she didn't know and didn't give a shit about. If it wasn't for her ex-cheerleader Britney, she'd still have a solid job and a perfect life.

Realizing that she was still parked on the side of a relatively busy street, Santana started her car and once again started driving. As she drove, she wiped away her silent tears. The radio stayed off, untouched because Brittany was usually the one to turn it on and pick a station nowadays. It seemed like a weird metaphor in her life: no Brittany, no music.

Before she knew it, she was parked in front of Puck's bar. It wasn't exactly a conscious decision but she knew it was the only place she could go. It wasn't open this early, most of it's workers probably sleeping off the previous night's activities. There was something about this place now. It was where she met Brittany and maybe that's the reason she came.

Santana got out and moved to the building next door to sit at the oddly placed bench. It also carried memories of Brittany. In that moment, it took a lot not to just call Brittany and break down. Knowing she was still slightly angry and also sad over this morning's events, she figured it wasn't the best idea. There was also the fear of seeing one good thing in life crumble. Santana was afraid there would be a domino effect.

She must have sat there for a long time because Santana suddenly heard the buzzing of neon. Looking around, she was oddly relieved to discover that Puck now had a flashing "OPEN" sign in his window. Not knowing what else she could do, Santana got up and walked inside.

"Hola chica, rough morning?" Puck said.

"Hey, Puck. You could definitely say that."

Puck's head snapped up. He had only caught a glimpse of his first customer of the day. The three other workers were doing a more thorough clean-up of what the night before, leaving him to man the bar alone as usual for the mornings. His first greeting was a natural reaction to any woman walking in this early but hearing the reply made him look closer.

"Santana?"

"In the fucking flesh." Santana had been trying to reign her verbal swearing in for Brittany's sake but right now Brittany wasn't here and she was still a little pissed.

"You know Britt's not here, right? She's got that job as an assistant gym teacher or something?"

"I know. I'm not here for her." Santana felt weird saying that. The only reason she ever came her was for Brittany.

"Well shit, have a seat. What's going on? Shouldn't you be working?"

Santana looked around the bar, noticing the morning after feeling. The ghost of the joy that happens here at night hung over her, the feeling very fitting to her right now. "Why are you open so early?" She asked, avoiding Puck's questioning.

"To be honest, I have nothing better to do. In case you forgot, I literally live upstairs so I don't have anywhere else to be. My fine ass woman is working at the moment, so no lovin' for the Puckasaurus right now. Plus, you never know when somebody could use a pick me up." Puck shrugged. "Now, why aren't you working?"

Santana didn't know why she felt like telling Puck. This was the man who had hit on her before and after her and Brittany became official. He had begged for threesomes before Mercedes put him on a leash. In other words, he wasn't exactly the Oprah "tell me all your problems" type of guy. Not to mention, this guy was Brittany's pseudo-brother and anything she says could be reported back to her girlfriend. Santana was going to tell Brittany but right now she didn't want to think about how or when.

"I am suspended, I guess." Santana looked around again before turning back and motioning for a beer. Puck handed one to her, deciding it seemed like it was needed.

"Why?" Puck cracked a beer of his own open, pulling a stool over from the corner behind the bar.

"As cliché as this sounds, an evil ex-head cheerleader out for revenge." Santana shook her head, hardly believing how made-up that sounded.

"Go on." Puck prodded.

Santana sighed, trying to decide how to start this story. While thinking, she took big gulps of her own bottle, slowly getting used to the unpleasant taste. She never really like beer but right now it was just what she needed.

"As you know, I'm a cheerleading coach at the private school on the north side of town."

Puck nodded and grinned, obviously thinking back to his own experiences with cheerleaders.

"Well, I ditched practice to hang out with Britt one day and I left my head cheerleader in charge. The squad was fairly young since a bunch of my precious idiots decided to get themselves caught red-handed with booze. Needless to say, we weren't exactly the best."

Puck nodded, taking small swigs of his beer as he listened closely. Santana vaguely noted that he was a good listener when he wasn't trying to get into someone's pants.

"She pushed the rest of the squad to do more complicated moves, ending with two injuries that she failed to tell me about. The next day I came and noticed the two were gone. I asked and she said she didn't know where they were. A girl that my head cheerleader always picked on came up to me and told me what really went down. Naturally, I kicked her off for her dishonesty."

"Good decision." Puck commented.

"Apparently not. She came back for revenge. This morning I walk into my office to find her and the principal looking through my desk. They found my 'stash' of teenage panties and now there's going to be an investigation into my inappropriate behavior with these young girls." Santana finished, taking a final gulp before setting down her empty bottle.

Puck wasted no time in reaching for another and handing it over. "Sounds like you need another." Santana was done with words for the moment, simply nodding in agreement. Puck sat there as he took more thoughtful sips, running through Santana's story in his head.

As Brittany had, he found out about Santana's past through their now mutual friends. To be honest, he hadn't believed the "Santana the sex shark" tales. He was the only sex shark around here. His disbelief was mostly caused by Santana being so whipped by Brittany. If his best chick friend wanted a pony, he wouldn't doubt it if Santana bought a whole stable.

"So how many girls were you supposedly corrupting?" Puck asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Well, she claimed I did it with her and all of my previous head cheerleaders, so three. Also I was already stalking my next prey, my current head cheerleader."

"Well what can you do to prove your innocent?"

Santana laughed bitterly. "If I knew, do you think I'd be here fucking drowning my sorrows like a washed up pop star?" Santana paused. "Wait, what makes you think I'm innocent. I can only imagine the gossip Mercedes has told you about me."

It was Puck's turn to laugh. "Well, you're right. She told me all about the lady-catcher you were. You know me though, we're a lot alike." Santana made a face, not exactly seeing the comparison. "We've both had our fair share of ladies. We are heartbreakers. We fuck and don't call unless we can't find any ass somewhere else." Santana nodded, starting to see Puck's way of thinking. "From one sex fiend to another? Even for us, there's someone we'll change for."

"You think that Brittany's that person for me?" Santana asked.

Puck nodded. "Britt isn't the smartest person around, and that's coming from me." Santana glared at Puck, knowing it was the truth but still wanting to defend her girl.

"See? That protectiveness. Did you feel that with any of your other booty calls?" Santana nodded. "Let me say it a different way. Besides when you saw somebody touching them like they were going to fuck the shit out of 'em, did you feel that need to defend?" Santana thought about it. Every time she had gotten jealous before it was because somebody was _touching _what was hers. Puck had merely spoke about Brittany and she wanted to punch him.

"So, is Mercedes that for you?" Santana was genuinely curious.

"No." Puck answered right away. Santana gave him another angry glare and he held his hands up in surrender. He finished his beer with one more gulp as Santana was already three fourths done with her second.

"I know she's your best friend and everything but I'm not going to lie. I'm pretty sure she knows it to but we aren't meant to get married and have kids and all of that shit. Right now, we both are just looking for some fun and in case you haven't noticed, we both like a challenge. She seems resistant to the Puckerman charm but I like the chase. I can't help but point out some hot chick when I see her and she likes trying to tame the beast that I am."

Their conversation was interrupted by somebody coming in the front door. They both looked to see Finn walking up with a clipboard. Puck nodded his head in greeting as the delivery man saw him and walked up to the bar, almost tripping over a chair in the process.

"Don't they have electronic stuff for that now?" Santana asked, pointing at the papers stacked on the clipboard.

"Yea, I kept breaking it and forgetting how to do stuff so they let me have this. Puck, what all do you want this time?"

Puck sighed, forgetting some of the stuff he needed.

"Look, Santana. I think you should just go home and think about things for a bit. This may take a while. Feel free to come back in an hour or something if you want to talk some more."

Santana tipped her bottle to him to show she understood before downing what was left. She got up and gripped Finn's arm to keep her balance. Finn smiled at her, not knowing what his new friend was doing here this early but guessing she really didn't want him to know.

"See ya, Santana."

"See ya, Frankenteen."

Santana decided to take Puck's advice and went home. Instead of thinking, though, she ended up taking a nap. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep and she was grateful for the break from real life.

* * *

><p>It was lunchtime at the elementary school. Brittany went through the line, not paying much attention to what she was picking up and putting on her tray. When she was at the end of the line, she moved to go sit by Coach Beiste and the rest of the teachers. Everybody except the coach shared confused looks. Brittany was known for being a friend to the students and she often sat with them, cycling through the grades everyday so nobody felt too left out.<p>

"Hey there, Brittany. What's going on?" Coach Beiste asked, noticing Brittany's sad expression.

Brittany shook her head to clear her thoughts before answering. "It's nothing really. It's just that Santana has texted me much except for early this morning so I'm kind of worried. I sound like such a clingy girlfriend right now."

Coach Beiste laughed. She had seen first hand how close Brittany and Ariana seemed. She knew from the snippets of conversations she had heard between the two that Santana was common ground for them and they both loved this mysterious woman a lot. "I don't think you have to worry about being to clingy, it seems like you guys are good together. You go together like pigs and mugs!"

Brittany nodded. It made sense to her. Pigs equaled bacon and you eat bacon with breakfast. Coffee is also a drink that is often present in the mornings. Coffee is served in mugs. "Thanks Coach. I just wish she would text me back."

Coach Beiste nodded her sympathy. "I'm sure she's just really busy. I hear they've always got something going on at that fancy private school."

Brittany agreed and started conversations with the other teachers. She missed half of them because she couldn't help but think of Santana in the back of her mind. _Please, just text me back!_

* * *

><p>Mercedes was happy it was time to get some grub. She heard there were tots on the menu today. It brought her back to the high school days when she pretty much had a love affair with the food. It was her own way of distracting herself from how dull her love life was then but she still enjoyed the tasty little devils now.<p>

Without hesitation, she walked into Santana's office, intent on getting the other woman to join her in the teacher's lounge after stealing some of the food from the cafeteria. It was one of their favorite past times at this school. She hadn't seen the other girl all day either so they would be able to catch up now.

"Hey girl, I need to get my tots on. Let's get go-"

Mercedes stopped mid-sentence when she realized that it wasn't Santana in the office. In fact, it was a few of the school board members and they looked to be discussing something important. Mr. Jordan excused himself from the small circle of people and moved to the doorway that Mercedes still occupied.

"Hello, Ms. Jones. What do you need?"

"Where's Santana?"

Mr. Jordan sighed. He didn't know how to exactly break the news to his teacher. He knew the two were best friends so he had kind of expected Santana to let the other woman in on what was happening.

"There have been some accusations of inappropriate behavior regarding Ms. Lopez." Mr. Jordan said, deciding that being vague was probably his best bet.

Mercedes, of course, would have none of it. "Be more specific, please. If this is about her tripping that kid I swear it was only because he kept picking on that tiny boy with the glasses-"

"Ms. Jones," Mr. Jordan cut her off. "Britney has informed us of some inappropriate relationships that Ms. Lopez has had with her head cheerleaders. There is evidence to support her accusations and we are setting up an investigation. Santana is suspended until further notice."

It took Mercedes a second to catch on. Her first thought was why Brittany would accuse Santana of relationships with her cheerleaders. Then she remembered that it was Britney, not Brittany. _Wow, that had to be confusing for Satan. _"Mr. J, excuse me, but I've known Santana for the majority of my life. She doesn't exactly need to take advantage of students because she had no trouble finding, uh, happiness, on her own." _That was an awkward way to put it._

"While I understand she is your friend, once again I must inform you that there is evidence against her. We also have the confessions of two students to confirm the story. Not to mention, we all know that Ms. Lopez prefers women when it comes to, um…romantic relationships." Mr. Jordan sighed. He had actually liked Santana as the coach for his cheerleading squad. It brought it more booster money from the many wins and she came with a great recommendation from Sue Sylvester herself. However, the final decision wasn't up to him.

"Oh hell to the no. I hope you are able to straighten this out Mr. Jordan because if Santana doesn't come back, I sure as hell won't either." Mercedes turned and walked away with her head held high. She knew that the teenaged girls were telling lies about this but damn it if she didn't love some good drama. _If only it was anybody else._

Not being able to hold it in, Mercedes decided to call Quinn. Quinn took the news fairly well, all things considered. When Mercedes started to question why Quinn wasn't extremely pissed or _something_, it was a simple explanation.

"It wouldn't be hard to do."

"What?" Mercedes questioned, not exactly understanding her friend's reasoning.

"Santana is known for being a, a, sex goddess." Quinn felt weird just saying that about her friend but she wouldn't deny the truth. "Doesn't everybody who works at that school know that?"

"Yes." Mercedes agreed.

"She is also known for being a lady lover." Quinn half asked and half stated.

"That's right."

"Lastly, she's known for her temper."

"Oh hell yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

Quinn sighed, knowing her evil genius persona from high school was peeking out right now. "If I was in Britney's position, I would want revenge. You knew me before I got pregnant, I would have done anything to keep my top spot." Mercedes silently agreed, remembering evil Quinn. "I would've picked out the best way to make people pay for things they did to me. It would have been to easy, with Santana's reputation, to make it seem like she took advantage of me and I was frightened that if I told, she would lose her temper and hurt me."

Mercedes knew Quinn was always the most level-headed out of the three best friends. Being a mother had calmed the woman who was previously Sue Sylvester's favorite student. "I have to get back to my classes, Q. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye 'Cedes." Quinn hung up and thought about what had happened to her best friend. Like Mercedes and Puck, she knew Santana was innocent. To everybody else who didn't know her or wasn't just like her, she would look guilty. That's what scared Quinn the most.

* * *

><p>Quinn ended up explaining the situation to Sam. Already predicting her best friend would need her more often, she told him that he would need to take Ariana a few more nights than usual this week. He agreed immediately, knowing it was important to Quinn.<p>

After Quinn told Sam, he told Tina. If he was going to be watching Ariana more this week, he would have to cancel a few of the nights he planned with Tina. His girlfriend agreed, seeing that this was kind of an emergency and she would pick up extra shifts or something instead.

* * *

><p>Brittany was just happy to be home as she walked inside her living room. She was still a little worried and feeling quite sad that she hadn't heard from Santana all day. There had been a million situations that went through her head. Santana crashing her car this morning, Santana getting stabbed, Santana getting poisoned. Each was worse and more imaginative and it had left Brittany feeling very down as she left school today. It didn't help that she remembered they were supposed to meet up after school.<p>

"Hey Brittany."

Brittany jumped, she hadn't noticed Tina sitting on the couch and she kept forgetting that Tina was living there now. "Oh! Hi Tina."

"Is Santana doing okay?" Tina asked, seeing how sad Brittany looked.

Brittany's head snapped up. "Did you hear something? What happened to her? Is she dead? Please, tell me she's not dead!" Brittany couldn't stop the tears that started at those thoughts. Her fears were being confirmed, something bad had happened to Santana.

Tina was surprised at Brittany's reaction. She had expected the other girl to be the first to know but obviously she was out of the loop at this point. She didn't exactly feel it was her place to tell Brittany but somebody had to before she cried herself to death.

"Brittany, didn't you hear about this morning?"

"N-no." Brittany sniffled, trying to contain her sobs while she still feared the worst.

"She's not dead, Britt." Brittany sighed and her crying slowed.

"So what's wrong?"

"She uh- got suspended from work today." Tina waited for the reaction, hoping that for once Brittany would understand without further explanation.

"Why? Did she do something bad?" Brittany asked.

Tina sighed. She didn't know how to phrase this. If she was being honest, she didn't know whether or not to believe in Santana's innocence as Quinn and Mercedes had. Sam seemed a little on the fence, too. That could have just been because the two weren't exactly each other's number one fans. Mercedes had given Tina a fair warning about Santana's past. That alone had made Tina's protective instinct for Brittany kick in and she was wary of the brunette from the start. These past few weeks had made Tina change her mind when she saw how Santana treated Brittany like a perfect princess.

Now, it seemed a little fake.

"She's under investigation. Some of her students came forward with accusations that say Santana took advantage of them."

Brittany understood that. She had gotten many speeches from her friends, especially Puck, about not letting guys, or anybody for that matter, take advantage of her. She pulled out her phone and hoped to see a missed text or call from Santana but there was none. Her emotions were going crazy. She had feared Santana's past but often forgot about what she heard when she was with Santana. The brunette was always so nice to her, kissing her at every chance and always making sure Brittany had everything she wanted and that she was comfortable. In her muddled mind, Brittany sent a text of her own.

* * *

><p>Santana stirred when she heard her phone vibrate. She was blissfully unaware of the day's events for a few more glorious minutes. Remembering her dream, she smiled. It was of Brittany. They were camping with Ariana, which was weird because Santana hated to go camping. Dream Santana was happier than she had seen herself in a long time.<p>

Too soon, it all came crashing back down onto her.

_I'm suspended. I am possibly going to be getting in huge trouble. All for something that for once, I didn't do. What the fuck is my life._

Santana remembered the smug look on Britney's face when she realized what the ex-head cheerleader did to her. She remembered the look on the girl's face when she told her of possibly letting her rejoin the squad. She followed herself through the motions. Driving, stopping, parking at Puck's, sitting on the bench. Talking to Puck was an odd relief in her chaotic morning. He had some good advice through the living hell she was going through. It was hard to believe that she would have had a heart to heart with him of all people.

Santana starts to feel it in her body. The hours of sleep she had just gotten after the emotional rollercoaster of events. Looking to her bedside clock, she noticed that she had slept for quite a few hours. It was then that she remembered why she had woken up.

Looking at her phone, it took a second before the small blinking light confirmed she had missed some kind of message. _If this is just an email, I swear I will throw this phone out of the window._ She was relieved when it was a text message from Brittany. _I hope she isn't mad I haven't texted her all day. Shit. I should have sent her something or told Quinn or Puck to. Why am I so stupid? _She hoped against hope that Brittany would have something, anything, to say to make this day better. Unfortunately, it only made it worse.

**I can't believe it. How could you? - Britt**

* * *

><p>A*N - How's this for angst? I wanted to do a storyline that I haven't heard from the Brittana perspective before. If you have already read something like this, I sowwy. However, I hope you still like it!<p>

Another note is, I know I used to update every other day and I'm trying to keep up as much as I can but it's a busy week and weekend coming up so I hope you forgive me if it gets a little unscheduled!

Again, I can't say this enough. I love you guys for reading, reviewing, alerting, and favoriting this story! I will shoot off extra pretty fireworks for you all! Thank you so much!


	12. Chapter 12

Santana closed the text without replying. The first thing she wanted to do was throw her phone at the wall and shatter it so she would never have to look at that text again. Instead, she called the first person she could think of.

"Hello?"

"PUCK! WHO THE FUCK DID YOU TELL?"

Puck had to hold the phone away from his ear and if he wasn't in his room while others manned the bar downstairs, he was sure everybody would've heard that. "Whoa! What are you talking about Lopez?"

Santana tried to take a few deep breaths. Here it was, the downfall of her life. _I must've jinxed myself this morning_. _I'm losing my job and now Brittany too, all because Puck spilled._ Her deep breaths just became shaky and she had to focus to get her next words out. "Brittany knows. Brittany knows and she hates me."

Puck put his head in his free hand. He hadn't told anybody, not even Mercedes. "I know that I'm not much, but I didn't tell Britt anything. I know enough that this is something _you _have to tell her. I swear on my dick."

Santana was confused now. If Puck didn't tell, how did Brittany know? Also, who else knew? "I'm sorry Puck." For some reason, she believed him. Maybe it was because of their conversation this morning and he easily believed her.

"I know it seems like the world is fucking exploding right now but you need to go talk to Britt. I shouldn't say anything and don't tell her I did, but she has had trouble with relationships in the past. Her parents divorced, the rest of her family is a lost cause, her best friend had a boyfriend that liked video games more than her, and finally, she had a man whore for a replacement big brother. Her previous boyfriends and girlfriends were into drugs or didn't really care about her. Mercedes and Quinn were so surprised by how whipped she had you from the start that they spilled about your whore-fest of a past. Brittany heard and she was waiting for you to cheat on her or something."

Santana didn't know what to say. For once in the few weeks she's known him, she was glad to have Puck around for something other than free alcohol. "I wouldn't do that." She sighed in defeat. "Not to her."

"You have to show her that, not me. To be honest, I'd be just as fucking lost as you right now. In fact, I would've probably already given up and went and called an old fuck buddy."

"You're not so bad, you know. Especially with how you look out for Britt."

"And you aren't either. You just have to put on your big girl panties and kick some lying teenage ass and win your girl back." Puck said, hoping that this would fire up his friend enough.

"Thanks Puck. I will try to pick up the shit explosion that is my life right now. I've got to go. Later."

"See ya."

Santana hung up the phone and immediately dialed another number. She had been taken by such surprise with Brittany that she had forgotten who the fuck she was. _I'm Santana fucking Lopez. I'm going to get my shit together, bitches._ She would get the girl and hopefully she would find a way to get her job back because the old her wouldn't have let this happen in the first place. She had been too caught up with enjoying life that she hadn't seen the signs that her high school self would've seen coming from a mile away.

"Hello?"

"Q."

Before Santana could continue, Quinn interrupted her. "Oh Santana! How are you holding up?"

That made Santana pause, forgetting what she was going to say. "_You know?_"

"Of course I do! Mercedes called me as soon as she found out from the principal."

_So that's how everybody is finding out. I guess it's my fault for having a best friend who needs gossip like air. _"Q. I need your help. Brittany knows and she's not happy. She thinks I'm guilty."

"How do you know?" Quinn was already trying to think of what they could do to fix this. Santana was the happiest she had ever seen her with this girl and by the sound of it, she already had her priorities in order. Her first was to get Brittany back and after that was getting her job back. It was weird to think that two weeks ago it would have been the other way around if she wanted to get anyone back at all.

"How do I know what?"

"That she knows and she's not happy about it, duh!"

"She sent me a message. I've got to get her to believe me. I understand why she doesn't and I probably would feel the same way if I was her. Let's just fucking do this, okay?"

"Okay Santana. You know I've got your back but, what is it exactly that we are doing?" Quinn hated to be the party pooper but they needed a plan before they just went running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

"I-I don't know. That's why I called you. Help me."

"We'll figure it out, Santana."

* * *

><p>"Brittany?" Tina had felt terrible for breaking the news to Brittany. After she had told her, Brittany had just sat there for at least five minutes, quietly crying while Tina rubbed her back, trying to soothe her as much as she could.<p>

"I'm sorry, Tina. I just…don't know what to do."

Tina's heart broke a little at seeing her friend so broken hearted. She decided to quickly text in some reinforcements.

Ten more minutes of crying later, there was a knock at the door and Tina quickly jumped up to answer it. In walked Puck, already leading the way back to where he could hear Brittany's soft sobs. She had fallen over without Tina there to support her on the couch and was curled up on her side, face hidden in a pillow that she had found.

"Britt?" Puck kneeled down in front of the couch, reaching out to pull Brittany's face away from the pillow. When he was finally successful, he almost regretted it. Brittany was his family as far as he was concerned and seeing her red, puffy eyes made anger flare up in him. He knew Santana's side of the story and so he wasn't angry at her. In fact, he was angry at some teenager he didn't even know but he pushed it down in favor of Brittany.

"Sit up." Brittany did as she was told and Puck quickly hopped up beside her and pulled her into his strong arms.

"We need to have a talk, Britt."

Brittany looked up at him with those sad eyes and he took that as his cue to start.

"Santana didn't do anything." He wasn't anything, if not blunt. "She was framed and I know that you know that. You don't see it right now because your going emotionally psycho because Tina told me that you texted her all day and she didn't answer. That's partially my fault because I told her to go home and I'm guessing she fell asleep because she's also in the emotional shitter right now."

Brittany sniffled. Part of her hated Puck for telling her this but another part of her knew what he was saying was probably true. Puck was a pretty honest guy, especially when it came to her. He was her big brother and wouldn't lie about something like this.

Thinking back to her past, the part that didn't want to listen won out. "She used to run through people like I go through favorite songs, Puck. How do you know she didn't do it?" Brittany didn't want Santana to be guilty but everything she knew from her mother yelling at her father while she grew up and seeing so many relationships fall told her that you couldn't fall in love so quickly like she had. It couldn't be real and if it was, it most likely wouldn't last.

"Britt. You know me right?" Brittany nodded against his shoulder. "I'm a total babe magnet. If I had someone like Santana has you, I wouldn't need anybody else. I observed her, I guess you could say." Brittany gave Puck a small glare for that. "Easy killer, it was just to look out for you, I swear." Brittany relented and went back to cuddling up to Puck. "She looks at you like," Puck tried to find the words to make Brittany understand. "like every single one of those cheesy Disney movies you love when two people fall in love and live happily ever after."

Brittany gasped. Puck knew that those movies were practically sacred in Brittany's eyes so using that comparison really hit home for her. "Are you-are you serious? Puck, you know not to joke about that."

Puck smiled, knowing that he was finally getting through to his favorite blonde girl. "I swear on my dick."

Despite the less-than-clean reassurance, Brittany smiled. "I guess you're right. I just can't shake the past and I need to. I hope she doesn't hate me…"

* * *

><p>Santana was pacing around her living room. Quinn had offered to come over and drop Ariana off at Sam's but Santana refused. Neither of the two had come up with a solid plan to get Brittany to see Santana's side. With the sensitivity towards this topic and the evidence, why would people believe the huge bitch that is the cheerleading coach? <em>That girl is lucky she is underage otherwise I would kick her ass right about now.<em> The old Santana was coming back out and out of nowhere, there was another voice in her head. _Brittany wouldn't like that._

Santana had to take a second to try and figure out who the fuck that voice was. She knew after a second but didn't want to recognize it. That was the part of her that loved Brittany, no matter how scared she was to say it.

_Fuck. My. Life. _

Just then, Santana's phone rang. Her heart stopped as she immediately thought of Brittany calling for an explanation when at this moment, she didn't have a clear one. She couldn't decide if she was more relieved or disappointed that it was Mercedes.

"Hello?"

"I'm so sorry Santana. I didn't know it would get to Brittany like that. Quinn and Tina both told me about the chain of events. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut!"

Santana sighed. She was grateful that Mercedes had the decency to apologize but it didn't stop Brittany from finding out the way she did. "It's okay. I hate that she found out like that but it's over and done with. I know your fetish for breaking gossip and I've accepted it."

"So we're good?" Mercedes held her breath.

"We're good." Santana heard the other woman let out the breath she'd been holding. "We'd be even better if you knew a great way to win Brittany over again and make her see that I'm completely innocent and just a victim of psycho teenage emotions."

"I think I know somebody better who could help us out."

* * *

><p>"Hey."<p>

"Hey Sam. I'm going to need you to-" Quinn was cut off.

"Take Ariana, I know. You know it's no problem. Bring her over here."

"Thanks. Santana said that she didn't need me to come over but I feel like I should be."

"How's she doing?" Sam felt a little guilty about being a part of the chain of events that led to Brittany finding out.

"Pretty good for Santana. I was expecting her to kill that girl who accused her by now but her focus has been on getting Brittany back."

"They broke up?"

"Well, not exactly. I don't know. Maybe?"

"I hope not. I've been hearing Trouty Mouth less and less since Brittany's been in the picture and I prefer it that way."

"Trust me, we all prefer a Santana that is with Brittany. I'll drop her off in about fifteen minutes. Thanks again, Sam."

"Quit thanking me. She's my daughter, too. It will never really be a problem for her to come hang out with her sweet dad. I'm thinking it's about time she gets into some new comic books." Sam was already going through possibilities in his head. His daughter _needed _to know so much about them.

"Don't turn our daughter into too much of a super nerd, Sam. See you soon."

"Bye Quinn."

* * *

><p>When Quinn arrived at Santana's, she was surprised to see a few people already there. Sitting around the dining room table were Santana, Mercedes, Puck, Kurt, and somebody she hadn't seen before.<p>

"Quinn? What're you doing here?" Santana asked.

"I came to be by your side. I'm one of your best friends. Why is there a meeting going on in your dining room and why wasn't I invited?"

"You were supposed to be with Ariana. I told you that you didn't have to drop her off at Sam's again. We were figuring out how to get me my woman back."

"Who is that guy?" Quinn indicated to the guy sitting by Kurt. The guy just waved back to her.

"Mike Chang. I was doing some shopping for his upcoming promotional tour when I got the emergency meeting call. He was fine with taking a break and coming with." Kurt answered.

"Okaaaaaay." Quinn thought that was kind of weird but her focus was quickly shifted.

"Alright. Nice to meet everybody. Can we fucking focus on Operation Brittana now?" Santana threw her arms up in exasperation.

"Operation Brittana?" Quinn couldn't help but question that.

Mercedes smiled and provided the information this time. "It's Brittany and Santana's names mashed together. Cute right? I came up with it all by myself!"

Quinn tried it out in her head again and had to agree. She was done with her questions and took her place in one of the few remaining open chairs.

"So. We use my bar. I've already called and they're closing it up as we speak." Puck said, getting back to business.

"Great. We've got a venue now what the hell am I supposed to actually do?" Santana asked, already getting worked up again.

"Santana, if I may, Mercedes called me here tonight because she knows I'm a sucker for romantic gestures. Let's start this off easy. What are Brittany's favorite things?"

"Well, she's an amazing dancer. She loves to feed ducks and cats are probably her favorite animals in the world. She loves animated movies and Disney the most. Brittany doesn't have a favorite color because she loves them all too much to decide on any specific one. Her favorite flowers are sunflowers but she adores any, especially if they smell nice, because of the thought behind them. Surprises scare her but she says it's a good kind of scared. Her dream is to go to Europe because she loves accents. Her favorite cuddle position is the one when she's on her side curled into me and her head is resting on my chest with my arm arou-"

"Okay!" Kurt cuts her off, realizing that this could become a very long list.

"Damn Satan. I don't think you know that much about _me._" Mercedes comments.

Santana just shakes her head and tries to hide her smile. Both women know that Santana knows a lot about Mercedes and then some, but it's surprising to hear how much she knows about someone after two weeks. To know that much means she had to stop paying so much attention to herself, something the old Santana would never have done.

"That was so sweet! I bet I'd still be with my ex-girlfriend if I knew that much about her. I know she loved my abs but other than that she didn't talk to me much." Mike said sadly.

Kurt put a comforting hand on his shoulder before turning back to the table. "Anybody else have anything to throw in?"

"Disney movies are sacred to her. Do anything that reminds her of them and she'll know you aren't messing around."

"Thank you, Puck. Tina texted me and said that she'll have Brittany ready to go out soon. She also said that Britt isn't exactly enthusiastic about it and only agreed to it after a lot of whining on Tina's part." Kurt explained as he read the text.

* * *

><p>After quite a bit of planning and arguing, the group finally had a plan and they set to work to make it happen. Santana was happy to have friends that were so willing to help her out. Part of her knew it was because half of them felt guilty for spreading the news before Santana had a chance but deep down she knew that it was because of Brittany and the woman that the blonde has made her into. This never would have happened with any of her exes and for that, she was kind of glad.<p>

She hadn't even realized she had stopped working to set up before Quinn and Mercedes came up on either side of her.

"You okay, Santana?" Quinn asked her.

"Yea." It was shaky. Santana just realized how sweaty her palms were.

"Are you nervous?" Mercedes asked, trying to be serious but finding the thought of a nervous Santana hilarious.

"Fuck no! I'm a badass." Santana tried to say with confidence.

"Sure you are, honey." Quinn said as she put her hand on Santana's shoulder.

The two women left Santana to help finish setting up. Brittany was due to arrive in five minutes.

* * *

><p>Brittany didn't understand why Tina insisted they go out tonight. She felt really crappy because of what she had texted Santana. She wanted to apologize but was afraid since Santana had never replied to that text. It was probably over for good. There went her fairy tale.<p>

Walking up to the bar, she sensed something was wrong.

"Tina, why aren't there any cars around here?"

"What do you mean, Britt? There's a few cars here." Tina was getting nervous. She had no idea what to say if Brittany caught on and ditched her.

"Yea, but there aren't as many as usual. Puck's place is usually surrounded by a bunch of them."

"It's National Walk Everywhere Day." Tina said, hating that she had to lie but knowing it was for a good cause.

"Huh?" Brittany asked, thoroughly confused.

"Most people walked places today. That's why we're walking. It's to protest using up natural resources and also to encourage exercising."

"Oh. That makes sense." Brittany agreed.

* * *

><p>"SHE'S COMING!" Kurt shouted out to everyone who was putting the finishing touches on Operation Brittana. Soon enough, it would be up to the two women to decide the outcome.<p>

Santana looked around. Everything was just as she imagined it. _It's all up to me. Don't fuck it up, Lopez._ Santana faintly noted that she hadn't been this nervous ever before in her life. Trying out for Cheerios as a freshman wasn't as frightening as finding out if the one person she loved was going to take her back or even just believe she was innocent. _Look at you, admitting in your head that you love someone after two fucking fantastic weeks. If this doesn't work…_ Santana cut off her own thoughts, not wanting to think about the disaster it would be if this didn't work out. She would probably cut her losses and move to Canada.

It was the final nods and hugs from her friends that gave her the courage to step out of the bar.

Brittany was just about to take the final steps up to the door when it opened. She couldn't hold in her gasp as she realized it was Santana coming out. As if to confirm what she was seeing, she looked to Tina.

Tina didn't know what to say so she just smiled and gave Brittany a quick hug before disappearing into the bar.

"Hey." Santana said, not able to take her eyes off of Brittany. _Really? You've planned out this huge thing and all you can say to her is hey? Damn her beautiful face wiping out my whole fucking speech from my memory. I'd rather have that gorgeous woman in there anyways._

"Hi." Brittany replied shyly, looking towards her feet. She felt Santana's gaze and for some reason, couldn't bring herself to meet it. Maybe it was her own guilt over how quickly she assumed Santana was guilty without any kind of explanation. Maybe it was because Santana hadn't yet explained. _Why is she staring at me? I knew I should have dressed up better for this. She looks so good in that small black and white cocktail dress. I probably look so bad and now she is wondering why she ever even spent time on me. She's going to hate me. Why did I just assume so much?_

"I'm sorry." Brittany's head snapped up when she heard an apology that matched hers. The girls locked eyes and nervously giggled, realizing they spoke the same words at the same time.

"Britt, you have nothing to be sorry for." Santana said, trying to piece together what she had wanted to say earlier but she was caught off guard by the other woman's apology.

Brittany shook her head. "No, Santana. I should say sorry and you shouldn't. You did nothing wrong. Puck, of all people, made me see that."

Santana had to laugh. "That's funny because Puck, of all people, made me see that you are more important to me than anything. Also, I realize that what happened in the past didn't give you any reason to believe otherwise from me. I want to change that."

Brittany smiled. She really couldn't believe what she was hearing. _She's not mad at me! Thank you grilled cheesus! _"Oh San. I'm so glad you're not mad. I felt so terrible and I'm sorry I automatically assumed you're guilty. I'm just stupid like that sometimes."

"Don't call yourself stupid. You're pretty smart compared to most people I know, and I know some geniuses." Santana cautiously took a step closer to Brittany.

Brittany noticed the shy step forward and reciprocated with one of her own. The two took turns and before they knew it, they were right in front of each other.

They looked into each other's eyes. Brown connected with blue and vice versa. No more words were needed as they read each other's apologies and forgiveness. It was a feeling they never felt between anybody else. It was oddly comforting to be able to have an entire conversation without saying a word.

Santana silently opened her arms and Brittany happily stepped into them. They wrapped their arms tightly around one another, enjoying the comfort that the action brought. Santana chuckled as Brittany tried to squeeze the life out of her. Brittany smiled at Santana's laugh and felt the other girl sway them slightly.

"As much as I want to keep this going, I have a little more planned for you. That is, if you want to come inside with me?" Santana posed the question with hopeful eyes.

Brittany pulled back and placed a sweet kiss on Santana's lips. When she pulled back, Santana's eyes were still closed, already missing the feel of Brittany's lips on her own. "Yes. You know how I feel about surprises!" Brittany pulled Santana towards the door, eager to find out what was waiting for her.

"Yes I do." Santana said proudly and rushed in front of the girl to hold open the door for her. "After you, my beautiful lady."

Brittany blushed and hurried in, Santana right behind her.

Brittany's eyes lit up at the sight of the bar. She hardly recognized it. There were so many different kinds of flowers sitting on the tables. There was a small table in the middle with a pretty blue tablecloth covering it. In the middle of that table there was a vase with a single sunflower in it and Brittany beamed. Many different colors and sizes of candles were giving the bar a faint glow. Santana personally enjoyed the effect the candles had on Brittany's face, giving her a gorgeous, soft glow.

Santana took Brittany's hand and led her to the table that was all set up. She let go of the hand only to reach and pull out Brittany's chair for her, which she gracefully sat down on. Santana moved to the bar and Brittany watched as Puck and Quinn appeared out of nowhere. Puck whispered to her quietly and Santana nodded while retrieving something from Quinn.

She came back to the table hiding something behind her back. In a flourish, she brought it out from behind her and Brittany squealed at the sight of a stuffed fat cat. "San! It's so cute!"

"It's a present. It's for you to keep and name whatever you want." Santana smiled, enjoying the happiness on Brittany's face.

"I'll decide later. For now, can you sit down so we can continue this?"

Santana nodded and sat down across from Brittany, who reached and moved the sunflower aside so she could reach Santana's hands on the table. "Better."

The girls talked about whatever came to mind, happy to be together once again. Puck and Kurt brought out wine and spaghetti, dressed up in fancy waiter's uniforms and Brittany loved every second of it.

Santana scooted her chair closer to the table. Brittany nearly died with delight when she realized what Santana was going to do.

Santana held her dark hair back and she moved her face close to the plate and scooted a meatball across it towards Brittany. Santana straightened back up and was worried to see Brittany tearing up.

"What's wrong? Did I do something bad? Damnit I knew I was going to screw this up!" Santana was shaking her head at herself, not bothering to wipe the sauce off her nose.

"No!" Brittany said quickly. "Happy tears, San. I'm just…so happy." Santana sighed in relief and reached for Brittany's hand again. They both started to sip at their wine and dig in to their shared spaghetti plate.

They idly chatted more as the night wound down and Santana's face became serious once again. She took both of Brittany's hands in her own before looking her in the eye again.

"Britt. I love you." She had a speech planned out for this moment but now as she was experiencing it, no more words were needed.

"I love you, San. Take me home?" Brittany said and Santana just agreed. She yelled a quick thank you to the rest of their friends before offering her arm to Brittany. Brittany took it with a smile and they walked out together.

* * *

><p>"Fifty bucks says they're going to have sex tonight!" Puck yells out to the rest of the people who were slowly cleaning up the bar.<p>

"Way to ruin the moment, Puck. Is it always sex with you? Maybe they want to keep it clean and just enjoy the romantic feeling of the night?" Kurt suggested.

"Yea, they've waited this long. Who says they can't wait longer? It'll happen when it happens." Quinn agreed.

"Please. Romantic gestures always get people laid. It's in the book." Puck argued.

"What book?" Mercedes asked, interested in hearing the imaginary book Puck has been apparently reading.

"The book of how to get some from chicks." Puck said like it was obvious.

"So explain to everybody how you're apparently an expert with this book and now you won't be getting any tonight." Mercedes said, making everybody except Puck crack up.

"C'mon! You help two hot chicks get together and you get nothing!" Puck sulked.

* * *

><p>A*N - What have you guys done? Was an update needed so bad that somehow you people made it practically flood with this rain and my plans were once again cancelled? I actually wasn't planning on getting this up until Sunday so enjoy this because I think you all deserve it anyways. It was truly a feat because that picture of Naya tanning that she tweeted nearly fried my brain. Hotness!<p>

Anyways, what did you guys think of this? Is Puck super cool for kind of saving the day or super lame because he had to ruin the moment at the end? Are our girls finally going to get down and dirty? Is Mercedes secretly a fan girl because she suggested the name Operation Brittana?

As always, love you all and thank you bunches for reading this! It means a lot to me!


	13. Chapter 13

Santana and Brittany were both more than happy to have each other back. Santana was glad to have the girl back in her life because it would make dealing with the whole Britney problem a lot easier. Brittany was just happy to have Santana back because the girl made her happy.

The drive to Santana's was relatively silent, only the radio playing softly in the background. Neither was paying much attention to the music, just lost in their own respective thoughts about how the night has been going so far and the drama of the past day. It was hard to believe how fast it all had happened.

Brittany had loved Santana's surprise. It was romantic and she was happy they had the chance to apologize to each other. _Don't forget she actually did the whole Lady and the Tramp meatball thing! She's perfect! _Seeing Santana's right hand resting on the gear shift, she reached over and took it with her left hand. She squeezed, wanting to show her feelings but not wanting to break the silence. Santana got the message loud and clear and squeezed back, taking her eyes of the road momentarily in favor of a quick glance at the beautiful girl riding shotgun.

When they had arrived, Santana jumped out of the car quickly. In a flash, she was at Brittany's side, helping her out of the car. Brittany smiled at the gesture, enjoying the attention Santana was giving her once again. "Thank you, San."

"My pleasure, Madame Britt. I will now escort you inside, if you don't mind." Santana offered her arm while she stood with her back straight, almost acting as a butler, waiting hand and foot on her boss.

The whole act made Brittany smile even brighter. "You're such a silly one, San." Santana blushed, although it quickly went away when Brittany put on the act of a fancy lady and took the offered arm with her head held high. She'd never been able to goof around like this with past girlfriends and Santana felt she could really get used to this.

As they walked, they came up to a tiny puddle that was in their path. Continuing the act, Santana leaped in front of Brittany. "Stop! There is danger ahead!"

Brittany giggled before continuing her own act. "Oh my! Whatever shall we do?"

"It is nothing I can't handle, Madame. I'll save you!" Santana put her arm around Brittany's back and she quickly swept the girl off her feet with the other. Brittany laughed and was actually a little surprised with the other girl's strength. She wrapped her arms around Santana's neck and pulled her face more towards the other girl's as Santana carried her over the small patch of water.

"My hero. You are so kind, what would I do without you?"

Santana just winked in response and Brittany quickly found out that Santana planned to carry her all of the way inside, not that she particularly minded. It was both cute and a perfect act after the date at the bar.

When they reached the front door, Brittany noticed Santana's hesitation and looked up to see her face. "San?"

Santana had a look of deep thought on her face and finally she sighed and relented. "I need your help."

"San, if I weigh too much or something, put me down. I don't want you to strain your back or something!" Brittany felt bad, not realizing Santana probably shouldn't be carrying her like this when she was taller than her.

"No! You're fine just where you are but now I can't open the door without putting you down because my keys are in my purse." Santana hated that for a second, she made Brittany feel as though she was too much of a burden to carry. Working out and being a badass had it's perks, one of them being able to carry this woman in her arms without much trouble.

"Oh!" Brittany said simply. She reached around to where Santana's purse was hanging by her side and dug into the front pocket where she knew the key would be. Once she fished it out she unlocked the door and opened it so Santana could bring them inside. "Teamwork!" Brittany said as she reached up to give Santana a kiss on the cheek.

"I usually don't work well with others," Santana said as she carefully set Brittany back down on her own two feet. "but for you I think I can make an exception." Santana pulled her girlfriend back into her and kissed her on the lips.

Brittany smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Santana's neck once again. Santana reciprocated by wrapping her arms around Brittany's slim waist. They parted and locked onto each other's eyes. Santana started to sway, dragging Brittany into the rhythm in her head, which the other girl picked up instantly. She then started to softly sing a song she knew the other girl loved.

"Beautiful girls, all over the world, I could be chasin' but my time would be wasted, they got nothing on you, baby."

Brittany's smile, something that had been ever present tonight, grew. She blushed a little but kept staring into Santana's eyes, enjoying her girlfriend's voice more than any other famous artist. Santana improvised a little on the next part.

"They might say hi, but I won't say hey, cause I'll be caught up in you, every day, cause they got nothing on you, baby, nothing on you."

Santana took Brittany's hand and spun her outwards before pulling her close again, loving the playful laughter that came from her dance partner. Not being able to resist, she sweetly kissed Brittany's lips once again.

"How long did it take you to make up the new version?" Brittany asked after the second kiss.

Santana smirked. "Well, I've been working on it little by little since I found out you loved it."

"I would love to hear the rest sometime. For now, I want to take this somewhere else."

Santana's was confused for a second before Brittany turned away from her and dropped her hand. She watched her arm fall lazily back to her side before glancing up to see what her girlfriend was doing. A goofy grin appeared when she realized her girlfriend was headed towards her bedroom, hips swaying seductively.

Admiring the view, she slowly followed. When she noticed the material of Brittany's dress getting shorter and shorter, she was again confused. Her eyes followed the material up until the blonde pulled it off completely. Brittany still had her back towards her girlfriend so she took a quick peek over her shoulder to see what was happening. Santana had stopped in her tracks and her mouth hung open slightly, a surprised, yet happy look on her face. _I wonder if it's cause I'm not wearing a bra. What would happen if I turned around? Maybe I should. No, I want to see how long it takes her to catch up._ Brittany started walking again, listening for the footsteps that would tell her that Santana was following.

_Where's the dress going? Not that I mind but rea- holy shit! She's not wearing a fucking bra! Also, bless whoever the fuck decided thongs were something women should wear because they may be a literal pain in the ass sometimes, Britts can totally rock it. Speaking of ass, damn! Wait. Why is she getting farther away? Oh fuck! I've stopped moving. Go Lopez! Get the hottest fucking girl ever!_ Santana scrambled after Brittany, who was almost inside the bedroom. That hallway had never seemed so long to Santana.

She hopped around on one foot, then the other, taking off her shoes. _Damn it. Brittany was wearing high heels and didn't take them off. I hope she still has them on when I get in there because fuck that would be smokin! _Santana almost ran to her bedroom, realizing that the moments she was distracted with her shoes, Brittany had slipped inside. _Shit, I'm going barefoot from now on! _

Santana arrived in her bedroom and was delighted to find Brittany still had her heels on. Her girlfriend was on the bed, laying on her stomach with her feet in the air, kicking slowly. Noticing Santana had joined her, she smiled. "It's about time. I was starting to think I'd have to take care of myself!" Brittany was joking but Santana was already running through images of Brittany, in her room while she was away, touching herself.

Santana was lost in her fantasies before she was interrupted by Brittany, who laughed. "Earth to Santana!"

Santana shook her head, trying to focus on the fact that while her dream may be hot, she had Brittany right there. In only underwear and heels. It was an amazing sight. "Huh?" _Always smooth with her, isn't it Lopez?_

"I said, are you going to take of your clothes or what?"

Santana just nodded before looking down at herself. _Ok fastest ways to get this dress off. Go! Uhhh…look at that fucking body on your bed. LOPEZ! Clothes off, now! Fucking tear it off if you have to! _Santana's hands seemed to get the message better than her mind because they started to unzip the dress and peel it off. Suddenly, she regretted wearing the black strapless bra underneath it.

"Mmm. Better!" Santana heard from the bed. Brittany stood up and Santana admired the way the heels elongated the strong dancer legs. It didn't take long for her eyes to become focused on Brittany's upper half, though. When her girlfriend arrived in front of her, it took all she had not to attack Brittany's chest, which was actually closer to her face than the other girl's lips thanks to the footwear.

"I think you should take your heels off." Santana hated herself a little bit for suggesting that but she wanted this first time to be more about making love than just going for the gold. _First time for everything, I guess._

Brittany did as Santana suggested and both were happy to have a reunion between their lips once again. Even though she was still shorter, this time Santana put her arms around Brittany's neck while Brittany's hands settled down near her hips. More than once Santana had to remind herself to breathe because she could feel Brittany's breasts touching her body deliciously so. Before she knew it, they were touching her own as Brittany sneakily snapped her bra off of her and threw it away from them as if it was possessed by evil.

Brittany hummed in approval after they parted and they each had a chance to admire each other's naked upper halves. "Perfect." Santana let out with a breath. She had really meant to keep that in her head but she decided it didn't really matter because Brittany grinned at her statement. "Look in a mirror." Santana almost blushed. She'd been called it all. Sexy, hot, fuckable. Brittany was the first one to imply perfect, something that Santana had never seen in herself. With her girlfriend, anything was possible.

Santana had finally gained back some of her confidence instead of the usual dopiness that always seemed to appear around Brittany. She grabbed her girlfriend's head and led her over to the bed. They had slept in it together a few times in the past two weeks and the familiar setting was nice for this decidedly unfamiliar territory between the two.

"Are we really doing this?" Santana asked, once they were both kneeling on the bed and facing each other. She had to be sure more than anything else because somehow pushing this would be another way she could fuck up the first relationship she'd wanted to last.

"Do you think I would have gotten practically naked before you even knew what was going on if we weren't?" Brittany laughed when Santana looked embarrassed for asking. She gave her girlfriend a reassuring smile after Santana's look changed to a small glare for laughing at her.

"It's sweet of you for asking, though. Yes, we are doing this. After the perfection of tonight it just seems…right." Brittany confirmed with a nod of her head.

"I love you." It was out of Santana's mouth before her brain registered it. _OH SHIT. Where did that come from? It's true but you weren't supposed to say it yet. You're about to have sex and you're going to make it all fucking awkward now because you're a dipshit._

Santana's inner panic almost caused her to miss Brittany's reply. "I love you, too."

_Now she's going to lea- wait. Did she just say it back? Oh fuck yes, all is not, I repeat, not lost!_ "Really?"

"I think I had a feeling the moment I met you. I've never really believed in love. It was just some fairy tale concept and that's why I love Disney movies. In them, love existed and it was the greatest feeling ever. When I'm with you, I feel like we're in our own Disney movie." Brittany shyly waited for Santana's response. She was more than happy to know that the brunette had said it before they continued but maybe what she just said was an overshare. Hopefully, the night would still remain perfect.

"That's how I feel. I think. Disney movies aren't exactly my thing but I think I could get used to them if it means cuddle time with you." Santana's confidence had come back with Brittany's reply and she was back in sexy mode. "Now, let's get it on." _Slap yourself in the face, please. That was a Puck-worthy moment ruiner._

_She's so amazing. Even if she just pulled a Puck. _Brittany smiled at Santana and instead of responding again, she pushed the other girl down so she was on her back. Quickly, she pulled off Santana's black panties before pulling off her own thong. Santana just watched her movements with a smile that quickly turned into a look of admiration at a finally fully naked Brittany.

_Yep. I definitely have the hottest fucking girlfriend alive._ Santana couldn't do much more than stare and reach her hands up to rest on Brittany's thighs as the girl straddled her. She didn't plan on fighting for dominance with Brittany. She just wanted them both to enjoy it as much as humanly possible.

Brittany leaned down to passionately kiss Santana but they both just ended up mostly moaning into each other's mouths. The skin on skin contact was electric. Santana's arms moved from the thighs that were gripping her hips to the silky smoothness of Brittany's back, pulling her impossibly closer.

Brittany's hands clung to Santana's shoulders, both girls finally getting past the initial shock of the contact and finally letting their tongues tangle together. Brittany's hands moved to Santana's breasts, cupping them as best as she could between their bodies making Santana sigh in relief at the touch. Santana's own hands wandered down to grab and knead Brittany's ass when she was positive she couldn't wait to touch anymore.

Brittany moved away from Santana, who whimpered in disappointment. It was quickly fixed as her girlfriend had only gotten up to straddle her right thigh and push her own pale one to meet Santana's core. Her hips involuntarily bucked up, desperately seeking the friction she needed.

Brittany straightened her back and started to make small thrusts, riding Santana's thigh while her own gave Santana a little bit of what she needed. Santana was mesmerized by the way Brittany's head was thrown back, her toned abs flexing with her movements, and the way her breasts bounced. Not being able to resist, she reached up to capture them in her hands, feeling their weight and moaning out with pleasure at the feel of them and the way the beautiful blonde was riding her.

Santana was close already but she hadn't gotten what she wanted. Deciding to go for it, she sat up and wrapped her arms around Brittany and somehow smoothly flipped them a little. Now Brittany was on her back, breathing heavily from their previous activities. Santana lay next to her, one leg thrown over Brittany's and she propped herself up on her right arm. Her mouth was near Brittany's chest and she didn't hesitate in moving forward and taking an already hard, perfect nipple into her mouth. Brittany's hands tangled in her dark hair and the blonde let out breathy version of Santana's name.

Santana flicked her tongue over the hardened bud in her mouth and her right hand worked the other. She licked her way from one to the other, trying to give them each equal time with her mouth as she tried to commit the sounds Brittany was making to memory. Her left hand trailed down, lightly scraping her nails over the hardened muscle of Brittany's stomach.

When Santana reached her destination, she was happy to feel an impressive amount of wetness and heat. _This is totally happening. Shit, you're a stud! _She took a moment to bask in the thought that Brittany was doing this with her and she was finally going to do this with Brittany.

"Saaan. Just do something already!"

Santana immediately set to work, slightly embarrassed for making her girlfriend wait. She ran her fingers through Brittany's folds a few times, spreading the soaking wetness she found. Brittany couldn't help herself and pushed her hips up a little, searching for more contact. Her back arched and Santana leaned back to watch the looks of pleasure flash across the girl's face.

"Fuck!"

Santana took that as her cue to kick it up a notch. Slowly, she entered Brittany with two fingers, watching for any signs of discomfort from the girl. Once her fingers were as deep as they could go, again she took a moment to try and commit it all to memory. There was the feeling of Brittany's tight walls squeezing her fingers in, the wetness that allowed her to slip in quite easily, the soft mewls of pleasure that came from her girlfriend's mouth, and of course the way the dancer's back arched.

Santana moved her fingers slowly out before pushing them back in, slowly building up her pace. Her mouth went back to work on Brittany's chest and her thumb started to circle Brittany's clit. Feeling so much being done to her body, Brittany hadn't been able to quiet herself as her moans, whimpers, and screams started to build in volume.

Santana moved herself up as best she could while still maintaining her quick pace thrusting inside of Brittany. She stopped when she was face to face with the girl of her dreams and looked at her face. Santana could find only one flaw.

"Open your eyes."

It took Brittany a second to register the request and slowly opened her eyes.

"Now you're perfect." Santana said and Brittany had to fight herself to keep from rolling her eyes back in pleasure. Santana leaned closer, keeping eye contact, and whispered onto Brittany's lips before kissing her again, curling her fingers. "I love you."

That was all it took to send Brittany crashing over the edge. Her scream of Santana's name was muffled by the girl's lips on hers and she couldn't find it in herself to mind one bit. Looking back at this, Brittany would know that she had never felt happier in her lifetime than at this moment right now.

Santana lazily pumped her fingers a few more times, helping Brittany's orgasm last. The blonde was grateful and she wrapped her arms around Santana, holding her close so neither of them could float away.

Once done, Santana couldn't help but bring her fingers up and put them in her mouth. Her own brown eyes rolled back as she tasted her girlfriend. She faintly heard Brittany's heavy breathing and something being spoken. "Shit, that's sexy."

Santana looked back to Brittany who was sporting a huge grin and half closed eyes. "Give me a minute and it'll be your turn."

Santana was content to lean back into Brittany, scooting down a little to trace lazy patterns up and down the girl's torso.

"This is the best sex I've ever had and it's not even done yet." Santana smiled at Brittany's statement, feeling very proud of herself. It was also true for her and she had quite a lot to compare with.

She usually would've pushed her sex partner to reciprocate by now but it was five minutes before Brittany suddenly pushed her on to her back and leaned over her again. "Ready?"

Santana had to laugh at Brittany's question. She had never been more ready for anything. Seeing Brittany's expectant face still waiting for an answer, she leaned up to kiss her, letting their tongues fight once again before pulling back. "For you? Always."

Brittany smiled before capturing Santana's lips again. Knowing her girlfriend was probably already ready to get on with it, she wasted no time in moving her hand down to Santana's heated core.

Santana's echoed throughout the room when Brittany quickly pushed in two of her own fingers and set a fast pace right away. It was just what she needed and her hips pumped up to meet Brittany as best as they could with the girl laying on top of her. Brittany's actions mirrored Santana's from earlier as she moved her thumb to play with Santana's clit. Her mouth was currently unoccupied because Santana had pulled away to let out her noises of bliss.

Deciding it should be doing something, Brittany trailed kisses down Santana's jaw to her earlobe. She took it into her mouth and nibbled softly on it, causing Santana's moans to go up in pitch. Seeking out other hot spots, she trailed her lips slowly down the tan neck, nibbling every now and then before soothing it with a swipe of her tongue. When she came to the place where Santana's neck and shoulder met, she sucked the skin into her mouth and Santana let out her loudest moan yet, along with a few swear words and Brittany's name. Brittany started to curl her fingers inside of Santana while she kept her fast rhythm. She switched sides on Santana's neck and paid the same spot the attention the other had received. When she lightly bit down, Santana lost it.

Brittany pulled back with a proud smile and locked eyes with Santana as the girl shook with ecstasy. She helped her girlfriend to ride out her orgasm just as she had done for her.

When the trembling stopped, she pulled her own fingers out and tasted them. _I think I found a new favorite flavor._ She happily curled into Santana's side as a tan arm pulled her close. Brittany closed her eyes and concentrated on Santana trying to catch her breath. She wouldn't mind having to stay here forever.

"You're amazing." Santana finally said.

"Thanks! I think _we're_ amazing." Brittany giggled. She could feel Santana nod in agreement. "Now I'm sleepy, though."

"Me too. You wore me out!" Santana smiled, replaying what had just happened and why Brittany had made her so sleepy. "Let's just go to sleep, sound good?"

Brittany agreed and they wiggled around to get underneath Santana's rumpled blanket. Brittany stretched out before turning and curling up. Santana did the same and Brittany pulled her close, spooning her girlfriend. She placed a few more lazy kisses on the back of the girl's exposed neck before settling back down on the pillow.

"Good night, San. Sweet dreams."

"With you here? Nothing is sweeter." _Sap, much? You're lucky she already loves you by some miracle. _"Night, Britt."

The two curled up, forgetting about everything else in life. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep, smiles firmly planted on their peaceful faces.

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><p>A*N - So, yea this was a filler chapter. I apologize for the lateness in my updating but if it makes you feel better, I have terrible sunburns on both of my shoulders and mosquito bites from hell. Take this chapter of fluffiness and sex as a peace offering.<p>

I will try to update again as soon as possible but a friend of mind planted a few ideas in my head so I might be making a quick companion piece to one of my other stories and I have an idea for a Quinn fic (I know, what the hell?) that may or may not get written.

As always, I love you all for giving this the time of day. Your reviews keep me motivated and it still blows my mind every time I get an alert/favorite!


	14. Chapter 14

Santana woke up with a small jump, hearing her alarm clock blaring. She took comfort in the fact that last night wasn't just a dream, as proven by a naked Brittany still wrapped tightly around her. Wiggling a little out of the embrace, she stretched her arm out and shut off the alarm clock. Santana flopped back onto her pillow, cuddling up to Brittany only this time, she faced her.

Brittany smiled, keeping her eyes closed, when she felt Santana's hand lightly trace over her cheek. "Morning." She mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning, my lovely. You need to get up and get ready for school." Santana said in her raspy "just woke up" voice. She couldn't help but become a little sad at the thought that she had nothing to get ready for today.

"I don't want to! I just want to stay here with you forever. It's comfy here." Brittany pouted at her girlfriend.

Santana chuckled and poked at Brittany's bottom lip that was sticking out. "Stop that. One of us has a good job that they need to get to. Plus, I can't let you disappoint Ariana, I'd never hear the end of it. Come to think of it, I never hear the end of it. Even if you aren't around, she never fails to bring you up in conversation. Not that I exactly mind. I think she likes you _almost _as much as I do."

Brittany rolled her eyes, something she had started doing the more she hung out with her girlfriend. Giving in, she leaned in a gave Santana a sweet kiss before slowly stretching out her cramped muscles. "If last night is anything to go by, that's a lot of liking to do for such a little girl." Brittany winked at Santana as she got out of the bed.

Santana reached over and smacked Brittany's ass. "You bet that sweet ass it is." Santana stretched out herself before curling up a little again, missing Brittany's warmth. She could've joined her girlfriend in the shower but decided against it, figuring she wouldn't be able to keep her hands to herself and she'd make Brittany late. _I've already lost my job, can't let her lose one of hers too._

Wanting to be of some use today, Santana finally got out of bed to make Brittany some breakfast. She put on a pair of short shorts and tank top, noticing with a smile that it was the same tank top she had given Brittany to wear during that first sleepover. _I've still got to figure out something to do with that kid for a thank you._

Looking around the kitchen, she decided that French toast would probably be the best option. She brought out the eggs and bread and everything else she would need while she fantasized about Brittany in her shower at that moment. _Even in the morning, you're a horndog! _Even that thought didn't stop her, though. Santana definitely figured she could get used to a naked Brittany somewhere in her house.

While still thinking about Brittany, she started to cook the food on the stove. Santana had just started to work a little more on her new version of "Just the Way You Are" in her head when her cell phone rang. Figuring Quinn or Mercedes would be the only ones to call her, she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Sup?"

"Ms. Lopez? It's Principal Jordan."

_Way to fucking be. Sup? Just what I need, for him to think I'm some kind of weird pedophile _and _immature._ "Oh, hello. May I ask why you are calling?" _There you go, put on your polite face._

"Yes. I am calling to request a meeting with you today between us and the board members. We have gotten two confessions from two different students and we want to hear your side of the story. Is there any way you can come in today?"

_No, I can't because I'm so god damn busy without a job! _"Of course! What time would you want to see me?"

"How does two o'clock sound?"

Santana noticed Brittany walking into the kitchen, wearing only a towel wrapped around her. It almost made her drop the piece of bread she was currently flipping and it certainly made her forget to answer the question she had just been asked. _Damn. Please, just drop the towel. How does she look so much like a fucking angel after getting out of the shower. Ugh. I'd hate her for that if she wasn't so damn hot and all mine!_

That last thought made Santana smile before she was snapped back to reality. "Ms. Lopez!"

"Oh, um. Sorry! Two o'clock sounds good."

"I will see you then. My office."

"Sure. Bye." Santana hung up the phone. She had been eyeing Brittany up the whole time, almost burning the breakfast she was making. When she hung up the phone she was happy to see that her girlfriend had decided to start digging her fridge, bending over and giving Santana a nice view that made her wish her towels were just a little bit smaller.

"Not that I really mind, since I love you not having clothes and all, but why are you just wearing a towel? I'm pretty sure that the elementary school has a dress code that would not allow that." Santana kept watching Brittany out of the corner of her eye as she flipped her girlfriend's breakfast onto a plate. "By the way, I made you French toast."

"Aww, you're so sweet. I'm starving! And no, I don't plan on wearing this all day, silly! I was going to ask you if you had anything I could wear since all I have is what I wore last night. Who was that on the phone?" Brittany was curious, hoping for some good news for Santana. She waited for her answer as she spread syrup all over her breakfast.

"Well, I guess they have two supposed 'confessions' from two different students. Now they want me to come in and say my side." Santana huffed, not happy with the situation at all.

"That means you can tell them how innocent you are!" Brittany smiled like it was as simple as that.

"It's two against one, babe. I'm not sure this is looking so good for me. We can't forget they also think I've had this perv drawer in my desk where I kept my stash of stolen underwear."

"That's stupid. I can't believe that they think you even needed high school girls. It's not like you're not hot enough to get whoever you wanted." Brittany reasoned out.

"I don't need _anybody_ when I've got a certain gorgeous, sexy blonde as my girlfriend." Santana winked. _I can't even turn my swagg off. _

Brittany blushed and smiled around a mouthful of her syrup soaked food at Santana. After last night, she was happy to know how much her girlfriend cared for her. _Also, the sex was pretty awesome._ "You're cute." Brittany swallowed before cutting off another piece with the side of her fork.

Santana couldn't resist it any longer and leaned over to kiss Brittany. It was sweet from more than just the syrup that could be tasted on the blonde's lips. "Since I actually do have something to do today, I'm going to go take a shower. I'll set out a some clothes for you on my bed, okay?" Brittany nodded. "See you in a bit." Santana turned to walk away and heard Brittany call out to her.

"Try and make sure they fit this time!" Brittany smiled when she heard Santana laugh and keep walking. It's not like she hadn't noticed the brunette's tendency to always give her too-small articles of clothing when she stayed. She thought of how the tiny clothes could probably make her look like a giant if it wasn't for Santana always being right next to her. One thought led to another and soon Brittany was lost to the real world.

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><p>Meanwhile, Santana had laid out clothes that would actually fit her girlfriend this time. She had to dig deep into her closet but she found a few things. Turning on the shower and stripping off her clothes, she started to think of what she would say when the time came to talk in from of the board members. <em>I have a smoking hot girlfriend, and before her it wasn't like I had trouble getting some. I don't need to take advantage of students?<em> She shook her head, nixing her first draft and started to think more as she got under the stream of water. _This is going to be hard_.

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><p>Brittany had finished her breakfast and snapped out of her daydreams. She realized it was time for her to get going if she wanted to make it in time for her first class. Running up the stairs, she wished she had more time so she could join Santana in the shower. Instead, she pushed the thoughts aside as she entered the bedroom and changed clothes, throwing the used towel into the corner where some of Santana's other dirty clothes were sitting. After changing, Brittany went into the bathroom to say goodbye to Santana.<p>

She took a second to admire the blurry form of Santana through the translucent shower door. _I need to get out of here before I decide to just call in sick! _"San?"

The figure inside the shower paused in the movements of washing her body, momentarily shocked at hearing another's voice in her shower. Santana went back to work when she realized it was only Brittany. "Yea, babe?"

Not being able to leave without a quick glance, Brittany pulled open the shower door, happy to see Santana currently working on her own breasts. Her girlfriend gasped in surprise, pausing again when she noticed the blonde head of hair peeking in. "Um…hey there."

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I needed one for the road. I'm leaving for class now." Brittany paused, not finishing her goodbye because she noticed Santana had went back to cleaning herself.

"Close you're mouth." Santana giggled before rinsing herself off and walking closer to Brittany. "Goodbye and have fun. Say hi to Ari for me." She pecked her girlfriend on the lips before turning around, happy to have a big shower to show off in.

_Holy rainbows. _Brittany finally snapped out of watching Santana saunter away back under the stream. "Um…I will! Bye!" She shut the door and hurried out of the bathroom before she lost all of her willpower.

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><p>Santana was deciding on her outfit, thinking wearing what she would usually wear to work would just be too weird. She was torn from her wardrobe when her phone started to ring.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hey Santana."

"What's up, Q?"

"Just dropped Ari off and wanted to see how your night went."

Santana couldn't stop the grin from appearing on her face at the mention of last night. No matter how good it went though, she couldn't help but try to play it off. "It was fine."

"Santana Lopez! I am your best friend and therefore am offended you would try to keep it cool. I want details!"

"Ok, well Brittany took off her dress on the way to my bedr-"

"OKAY! Not those details." Quinn had to stop her because she knew Santana could get descriptive when she wanted to. "Although, now I understand why you sounded so damn happy when you answered the phone, instead of your usual grumble in the morning."

"Well, now that you know all about my fucking amazing night, can I ask you something?"

"Yea, sure. What's wrong?" Quinn had actually planned on teasing her best friend more but decided to put it aside for a later date. Right now, she was needed and Santana rarely asked for help.

"I have a meeting today."

"With?" Quinn pressed.

"The principal and board members."

"Why?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Santana sighed, knowing she would answer them anyways. "They have two girls who are accusing me now. It's Britney and her best friend, my new captain Tia I'm guessing. They want my side of the story and I don't know what the hell I should wear."

"Just dress up a little. Not cocktail party, more like…" Quinn tried to think of what she wanted to say. "professional that doesn't try too hard. Like you could get stuff done but you aren't going in there to beg for your job back."

Santana nodded even though Quinn couldn't see her. "I get what you mean, Q. Thanks."

"I also have some juicy gossip!"

"You sound like Mercedes."

"I wish I had her voice…" Quinn took a second to daydream about how she could be a famous rockstar or something with a voice like that.

"Earth to Q!"

"Oh right. Sam and Tina broke up."

"What? Why? When?" Santana fired off each question rapidly.

"Okay. When? This morning. Why? Because she found someone else. What? Well, that's pretty much the same thing as why, isn't it?"

"Who is this mysterious 'someone else?'" Santana's first thought was Tina's ex, Artie.

"Mike Chang!" Quinn answered. She didn't feel bad because Sam explained everything this morning and apparently, it was a mutual decision brought to light by Tina.

"Good for her?" Santana meant to say it like she meant it, but it came out as a question as she couldn't really place the name with a face.

"Mike Chang. He was with Kurt last night. Helped you get your girl." Quinn rolled her eyes. It never failed to amaze her how quickly Santana could forget someone.

"Oh yeah!" Santana caught on. "Wait, how's Trouty Mouth?"

"Stop calling him that! He's really sensitive about that. He's fine, by the way. He told me that he wasn't really into Tina and apparently she confessed the same this morning."

"Well, that's good news for you, right Q?" Santana was just teasing Quinn, knowing about how Sam still had feelings for her. Before she could get yelled at though, she said her goodbyes. "I have to go get ready. Still have to figure out what I'm going to say. Byeeeee Q!"

Santana hung up. She had drug out the word "bye" because she had already heard Quinn start to curse out at her and she just wanted to bask in that for a second. Now, back to being serious.

* * *

><p>Two o'clock came way to fast in Santana's opinion. She had been texting Brittany a little bit all morning, trying to calm herself down. Just thinking about her girlfriend helped her a little but this was possibly a big turning point in her life. If things went wrong today, she could be negatively affected for the rest of her life. She'd be called "pedo" and "creeper." Both were words she definitely did not want attached to her.<p>

Sending Brittany one last text, she entered the school building. She decided to go simple with her clothes and paired black skinny jeans with cute black heels and a white button up shirt.

"Hey Satan. Good luck today. We're all rooting for you."

Santana looked up to be met with her best friend Mercedes. The teacher had been waiting around the principal's office.

"Thanks, 'Cedes. I really appreciate that." Santana smiled at her friend, despite her nerves.

"Hey, if all else fails, think of last night." Mercedes winked at Santana before walking away and laughing at the other girl's face.

Santana closed her mouth after her jaw had dropped open. _I'm going to kill Quinn!_

"Ms. Lopez. Please, come in."

Santana turned her head and saw Principal Jordan standing with his door open, his hand ushering her inside.

* * *

><p>Brittany looked at her phone.<p>

**Going in. Hope for the best for me. No matter what I love you. -San**

Brittany knew there wasn't anything else she could say to her girlfriend so instead she just closed her eyes tightly.

Ariana had taken a break from practicing her solo part for their small concert they were going to be putting on. Santana had praised her but suspected Brittany had played favorites. It took both Brittany and Ariana to convince the brunette that Ariana had gotten it fair and square, getting picked along with three others by Coach Beiste herself.

"Britty?"

Brittany opened her eyes and looked down at the little girl she had grown quite close to. "Yes, Ari?"

"Why were your eyes closed all tight like that? You looked like you were trying to hide from monsters and disappear or like you really had to poop."

Brittany had to laugh at the girl's guesses at why she was closing her eyes. It was simple things like the silly things they would say that made her fall in love with little kids. "I was sending as much good energy as I could to your Aunt."

"Aunt Tana?" Ariana had to clarify because had a few other aunts, even if Santana was her favorite and always the first one she thought of.

Brittany nodded.

"Why?" Ariana wanted to know but Brittany knew she couldn't tell her the exact reason why.

"She needs it. She's dealing with grown up stuff today."

Ariana nodded, understanding that grown up stuff could be complicated. Remembering something her dad always said, she took a guess. "Is it menopause?"

Brittany stared at the little girl for a second, wondering where that came from. "What?"

"Menopause." Ariana repeated. When Brittany didn't respond, she explained. "Sometimes Mommy gets mad at Daddy and he asks her if it's because of menopause. It usually just makes Mommy get more mad."

Brittany had to chuckle, being able to picture Sam, who is often a little air-headed, asking Quinn that question. "No, it's not. It's a good guess, though."

Ariana was already tired of guessing. "Well, I'll send her some good energy, too." The young girl squeezed her eyes tight before opening them again. "There, all better. I'm going to go practice again, Britty. Will you watch me?"

Brittany smiled and nodded, hoping that it really was all better for Santana. No matter what happened, she would be sure to inform her girlfriend of Ariana's gesture, knowing it would make her feel a little better.

* * *

><p>Santana stepped out of the principal's office as confidently as she could. The meeting had lasted longer than she had thought and Brittany would almost be done today as well. She took out her cell phone, hoping to quickly call her girlfriend to see if she could pick her up and they could spend some time together before Brittany went to work at Puck's.<p>

"Hey Coach Lopez."

Santana looked up, once again trying to find out who said her name. Her eyes finally landed on Andrea. "Oh, hey Andrea." Santana patted herself on the back for remembering the girl's name. It was then that she remembered why she was even at the school and she scowled. "Aren't you scared I'm going to touch you or something?"

Andrea shook her head. "I know that's all lies. In fact, Britney was bragging about it in the locker room the other day. I think I have something you might want. Is there any place I can show you?"

Santana was intrigued but knew that meeting up with this girl would do nothing to help her reputation at the moment. "I don't think that is such a good idea, Andrea. I can't be seen taking a student anywhere, especially a female who used to be on my squad."

Andrea nodded, agreeing. "I guess that makes sense. Can I send it to your school email?"

Santana once again shook her head. "They are going to be checking that for any incriminating evidence."

Andrea looked put out. "I really believe this will help you. Please, Coach! It's hell without you around. I thought Britney was bad before…" The teenager shook her head. "It's so much worse now."

Santana felt for the girl but she couldn't give out her email address to young girls like this. It just wouldn't help her case at all. Instead, she suddenly got an idea. "This is my friend's email. Just send it to her and I'll get it."

"Thanks Coach. I'll send it right after school. You won't regret this!" Andrea hurried away.

"I hope not." Santana said under her breath.

Santana quickly called Brittany.

"Hello?"

She couldn't help but smile after hearing her girlfriend's voice. Santana easily predicted that she would never tire of hearing it.

"Hey babe."

"San! How'd it go?"

Santana sighed, knowing it was still seemingly up in the air. "It went good, but I don't know if it's good enough."

"I hope it was. You don't deserve this."

"Thanks Britt. I love you."

Brittany smiled into the phone. Despite the current situation her girlfriend was it, she couldn't help but feel giddy everything she said those three words. "I love you, too."

"I called to see if you were done. I was hoping I could pick you up and we could go to my place for awhile before you had to work."

"Uh…I should be done by the time you get here. That sounds perfect."

"Alright. See you soon hot stuff."

Brittany smirked. "Bye cutie pie!" She hung up and went back to help some struggling young boy.

Santana groaned after she heard the other girl end the call. She was trying to be all flirty and then she gets called "cutie pie?" She shook it off, knowing that she didn't _really _care if it was coming from Brittany. The girl could call her a polished turd and she'd be happy.

Santana got into her car and quickly sent two texts before taking off to pick up her girlfriend.

* * *

><p>Santana, Brittany, Quinn, and Mercedes were all standing around Santana's dining room table while Ariana was in the living room watching cartoons. School had been dismissed for about two hours and they were gathered around Quinn, who was currently logging in to her email account. Once her messages started to pop up, she started to scroll through them, looking for the ever important one.<p>

Brittany held on tightly to Santana's hand, hoping this would be just what they needed to clear the brunette's name. Mercedes was tapping her foot impatiently, hoping whatever this is, it will get her best friend back to school with her. Quinn was scanning the screen until she found a name she didn't recognize.

Opening it up, it was an email from Andrea with an attachment. The only message it came with was "Hope this helps."

Quinn clicked on the attachment. Each girl gasped when they figured out how much this would help them. It would hopefully be just the thing that would prove Santana's innocence.

* * *

><p>The girls celebrated that night at Puck's. Well, Mercedes, Quinn, and Santana did. Brittany had to work and Tina had taken a night off to go on a date with Mike already. Finn didn't want to join them because Sam was at home with Ariana and he had finally given up on going for Quinn. Puck worked, too, being his usual overly accommodating to their table full of girls. Mercedes had forgiven him for his stupid comments already, figuring it wasn't worth it anyways.<p>

"To...um...hopefully Santana's innocence!" Mercedes raised her drink for a toast.

"Hopefully?" Quinn questioned, laughing at the random toast.

"Well, it's not for sure yet. We've got some good stuff to work with now but we have to play our cards right." Mercedes explained, putting her elbow down on the table but still holding her drink up, reading to defend herself.

"I can help you guys practice playing your cards right. How does strip poker sound?" Puck smirked as he came up to the table once again.

"To an innocent Santana!" Quinn said, raising her glass to join Mercedes' before Puck could continue speaking.

"SANTANA!" Mercedes said loudly, snapping her fingers in front of Santana's spaced out face.

"Huh?" Santana said, not moving her gaze.

The three at the table followed the girl's stare and found it on a certain blonde behind the bar who was bent over the bar, wearing a low cut shirt and scrubbing vigorously at a spot with a rag.

Quinn laughed and took a drink, knowing Santana was more than distracted with other things. Puck joined in her leering and Mercedes noticed. Deciding it would be the best way to snap the other two out of it, she spoke up. "Santana, Puck is checking out Brittany's boobs." Quinn high fived her, knowing that Puck was in trouble now and Mercedes took a drink herself.

Santana immediately snapped her head away from her girlfriend and looked at Puck. Seeing that Mercedes was telling the truth she launched at him, knocking her chair back and slapping his head. "You keep your eyes off of her! That's all mine!"

Puck put his hands up in surrender and moved back over to Finn, scared of any more attacks. Quinn and Mercedes were doubled over in laughter. Santana looked back, hoping to see her girlfriend continue her previous actions because it was making her all kinds of happy. Instead she saw Brittany grinning back at her.

Santana winked, proud that she had stood up for what's hers.

Brittany just smiled and did a private shimmy, just for her girlfriend before blowing her a kiss.

Then Santana caught on, feeling a little proud and a little played. _She did that on purpose!_

* * *

><p>A*N - Hey guys! So I've had a few people say that they don't want Santana to go back to her job, if she gets offered to come back. I don't want to say what I had planned and spoil things if I decide to stick with it but I want to hear what you think. I want your opinions on any kind of other possible jobs you want her to be in. Do you want her to go back to college and get a degree for a different kind of job? Should she start working with Puck or maybe start her own business? Do you want her to just become a sex slave to Brittany? Let me know! (Also, other commentsreviews for this story are very much appreciated.)

Funny story: I was actually about to finish and post this chapter when a storm came up. Since my laptop recently broke, I've been stuck using the desktop. I was typing away when my mom tells me I need to get into the basement (a.k.a. away from the computer). She was apparently watching the weather channel. It turns out, there was a tornado just a few miles away. I was actually mad that I couldn't finish this right away because the tornado didn't even hit us! Oh life. (Also yes, for some reason, the weather DOES hate me lately)


	15. Chapter 15

Brittany woke up in her own bed, immediately reaching out for the warmth of Santana. She was disappointed to come up empty. There was evidence that her girlfriend had been there, thanks to the heels that were still by the bedroom door and the clothes that were on the floor. Not being quite ready to get up, she rolled over onto her stomach and took in the faint scent that was left by Santana. It was comforting and brought back memories of last night's cuddles and whispering. Checking the alarm clock, Brittany noticed she had some time before she had to get up and get ready. That allowed her to bury her nose into the place were Santana's head had been and closer her eyes.

The door creaked open but Brittany kept her eyes shut, knowing it was either Santana or Tina.

"Britt." It was Santana, as given away by the raspy morning voice. "Babe, wake up." Brittany heard something being set down on the dresser nearby but still refused to open her eyes. She was more than happy to feel the bed dip and somebody straddling her hips.

"Mmmmm." Brittany let out, voicing her approval of the events that were happening.

"Oh, so you are awake." Santana replied, reaching down to move away messy blonde hair and give Brittany's neck a quick kiss before sitting back up. She reached her hands down, pulled the blanket away to reveal Brittany's back, and undid her bra straps.

Brittany was happy to feel Santana's hands slowly working the knots that were formed in her back. "Massages are nice, especially when they're free."

"How about free massages given by a smokin' hot babe like myself?" Santana prodded playfully.

"The best!" Brittany settled for that simple reply. She was already slowly falling back to sleep. Santana's massage was very relaxing and she felt safe in her girlfriend's hands. Soon enough Brittany's breathing evened out once again.

"Britt!" Santana quickly hooked Brittany's bra back on and patted her shoulders twice.

"Whaaaaat?" Brittany groaned, hoping Santana would just go back to massaging her back.

"You need to get up. Your breakfast is getting cold and you need to get to the school! How do you make it to work when I'm not with you in the morning?" Santana was genuinely a little curious.

"It's a lot easier to leave a bed that you're not in." Brittany replied before turning over as Santana slipped off of her to get the breakfast tray.

Santana smiled, happy to still be wanted by someone. She had been feeling pretty useless ever since she had been suspended and therefore had been a little more insecure than usual. She set the trey down across Brittany's lap when the girl sat up. After making sure Brittany had everything she needed, she joined her under the blankets. Santana tangled their legs together as best as she could with the tray in the way and appreciated that they had decided to sleep in their underwear.

"So, what am I doing to deserve all of this?" Brittany asked after swallowing a mouthful of eggs and a gulp of juice.

Santana thought about just playing it off as the romantic type but quickly changed her mind. She knew Brittany deserved her honesty. "I just feel, like, I should be doing something." She sighed. "I sound pathetic." Santana shook her head before scooting down in the bed to bury her face into the blankets.

Brittany ate a little bit, thinking embarrassed Santana was really cute. She tried to think of what she could say to make her girlfriend feel better but she already knew it would be a challenge. "You aren't pathetic, Santana. People deal with things differently. When some people lose their jobs, they don't do anything. I've seen it on tv. They get fat and sit on the couch and other people have to do things for them and they don't fight. If I've found out anything, it's that you're a fighter. You shouldn't physically fight, though. That would scare me because I don't want you to get hurt. Although, playing doctor would be kind of fun because I could find a sexy nurse outfit or-"

Santana poked her head out and chuckled at Brittany's rambling. Few people would be able to make her feel better but she was glad to be with one of them at that moment.

Brittany's second alarm went off, confusing Santana who thought she turned it off.

"Oh! I need to get ready or I'm going to be late!" Brittany said before stumbling out of the bed.

Upon closer inspection of Brittany bedside clock, Santana realized that it had two different alarms on it. Brittany noticed Santana's confusion as she gathered stuff together for a shower. "I set one to wake me up and since I usually get distracted, I set the second one to remind me I need to get going."

Santana lay back as Brittany left to take her shower. It was actually a pretty smart idea because she noticed Brittany's tendency to flit from one thing to another. She let herself think about her job, something that has been consuming her thoughts whenever they weren't stuck on Brittany. The attachment from Andrea would hopefully help her to prove her innocence. It had been an audio clip of Britney laughing at how well her plan has been working. Unfortunately, it wouldn't exactly look good for her to use something she got from a young female student to prove her innocence. However, something Britney had said had given her an idea of what might.

It wasn't long before Brittany had come back, looking happy and only a little rushed. She sat down in front of her mirror, putting her hair up in an updo for the day. Once she was done with that, she rushed over to her dresser to pick out some clothes for Santana. Seeing her old dance team shirt with her last name on it, she smiled and tossed it to Santana.

"Claiming me, Pierce?"

"I have to since nobody else will…it's not a choice."

Santana pretended to be offended as Brittany tried her hardest not to let a smile crack through. She was usually good at putting on a poker face but her excuse was that it was early as it finally broke through.

She found some shorts to toss to her girlfriend before once again going to the bed. "I'm going to go. I'll see you later?" Brittany waited for Santana to nod before giving her a sweet kiss. "Love you San."

"Love you too, Britt. Have fun at work." Santana watched her girlfriend go. She couldn't really do anything about her situation today until Mercedes called her. It was all part of their plan. Instead, she decided to take a quick nap.

Brittany walked through her apartment, noticing Tina sitting in the living room. "Good morning, Tina! I'm going to work, bye!"

"Bye!" Tina called just before the front door shut. She had been up early, waking up to the smell of breakfast being made. Her first thought was Brittany trying to make something and she panicked and ran into the kitchen. She was relieved to find it was just Santana. It was too early for her to care that Santana was wearing only underwear and one of Brittany's extra big shirts.

The two had chatted, mostly about Mike, Brittany, and the events of yesterday that Tina had missed. Also, Santana had made a little extra to share with Tina, who was thankful for that. After Santana had gone back into Brittany's room, Tina's phone vibrated with a text. Hoping it was Mike, she quickly picked it up.

**Trying to steal my crush? I need the details! –Kurt**

Tina laughed, knowing Kurt was just being playful. He probably did want the details but it was only right since they were good friends.

**Details later. I'm going back to sleep. Woke up early because Santana was here and made Brittany breakfast. Lunch? –T.C.C.**

Apparently, lunch was good enough for Kurt so Tina happily went back to her room to sleep for a few more hours.

* * *

><p>Brittany arrived at work, only to find out that her first class was having some state testing done. It was a last minute decision and it left her a little sad when she realized she could've stayed in bed with Santana longer. Instead, she went to the teacher's lounge to get some of the hot chocolate that was in there. If she was lucky, there'd be cookies from one of the more active mothers.<p>

When she entered, she waved to some of the teachers that were in there already. When she turned around to fix her cup, she heard them continue their previous conversation.

"I heard that she had taken advantage of each of her cheerleaders. One, maybe two, at a time. Just disgusting!"

Brittany froze. _They can't be talking about this. Not here right now._

"That's better than what I heard. I heard she joined the girls in the shower after practices. After that, she picked out who she wanted to take home with her."

Brittany was shaking now. She had expected that people would talk when they found out but she never thought she'd have to listen. It made her angry to think that people thought of Santana like this. It broke her heart to think about what would happen if Ariana overheard any of this.

"She's only suspended. Why didn't they just fire her on the spot? Why isn't she in jail right now where other women might take advantage of her and see how she likes it?"

That did it. Thinking of Santana in jail where she could get seriously injured wasn't something she could handle. Brittany knew that Santana didn't belong there. How could these people think that Santana, who had made her breakfast and given her a massage and loved Ariana like her own daughter, could really be guilty?

"Excuse me," Brittany waited until the other teachers looked up from their conversation. "for your information, my girlfriend, Santana Lopez is innocent. Maybe you should hear both sides of the story before drawing conclusions. How are you able to teach kids fairness when you aren't even fair? It's just not right!"

Brittany took a moment to soak in their surprised and slightly ashamed faces. She waited for a reply but when none came, she stormed out. She was holding back tears by the time she arrived at the gym and went inside. She sat on the bleachers until Coach Beiste walked in and shook her from her thoughts.

"Hey Brittany!" Brittany half-heartedly waved, causing the coach to notice something was wrong. "What's the matter this morning?" Coach Beiste sat beside Brittany and gave her a look filled with concern.

Not being able to hold it in any longer, Brittany sobbed out. "They're so mean!" She leaned over onto Coach Beiste's shoulder.

"Shh. It's ok. Who is mean?"

"Teachers. They were talking about Santana. Bad things!" Brittany explained as best as she could while she cried. She was happy to be on the receiving end of Coach Beiste's hug, needing some comfort.

Coach Beiste took a minute to think about how to reply. "Brittany." Brittany looked up, eyes still watery and red. "People are always going to talk. Talking about other people is like air for some of the nastier ones. Have you ever lost at something and ended up being mad at whoever won?" Brittany nodded. "It wasn't their fault. It was something they wanted and worked for. You didn't need to be mad at them. Did you want to hurt them like you were hurt?"

Brittany nodded and then shook her head at herself. She had always felt bad for thinking those things the next day.

"Some people don't even need a reason. It makes them feel better to talk badly about someone else and hurt them. They think that if they are hurting someone else, they won't hurt as much."

Brittany sniffled, her tears finally starting to subside. "That's dumb."

"It is." Coach Beiste agreed. "There's a lot of things that you won't like about the world. That's why you just need to focus on what makes you happy."

Brittany immediately smiled. Lately, the word happy just brought an image of Santana into her mind. She could do that. She could focus on Santana.

"Thanks again, Coach. You're like, Buddha."

Coach Beiste just shook her head and laughed at the reference. "Thank you, Brittany. Now how about we, well, you teach some kids how to dance!"

Brittany nodded and jumped up, happily focusing on things that make her happy.

* * *

><p>Santana woke up and noticed she had slept for about an hour and a half. Not wanting to sit around and turn into a lazy slob, she decided to get up and out of Brittany's bed. She stretched and went to grab the clothes that Brittany had put out for her before heading to the bathroom to shower.<p>

Once she was done with that, she went back into Brittany's room to blow dry her hair. She looked around once her hair was dry and decided to clean up the mess she had made this morning. Santana grabbed the tray and took it back into the kitchen. She cleaned off the scraps from the plate and put it in the sink. A quick scan of the kitchen helped her find the dishwasher, which would make her job a little easier.

Santana loaded it up and finished putting away everything else that seemed out of place. Once done in the kitchen, she moved back to Brittany's room to start on it. Just as she bent over to pick up her discarded clothes, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Satan."

"What's up, Weezy?"

"I got what you wanted. Do you want me to just email it to you?"

"Yes please!"

"Hold up, did Satan just say please?"

"Shut up. I wants to get this shit over with."

"Ok, take it easy Lima Heights Adjacent."

"You say it like that's an insult! I'm offended!"

"Whatever. I've got to go, students are starting to walk in. I'll get it to you ASAP."

"Thanks, Mercedes."

Mercedes noted the sincerity in Santana's voice and decided to leave it at that. It would probably be dangerous to push her anymore.

"You're welcome. Later, Santana."

Santana hung up and sat on Brittany's bed, waiting for her phone to notify her of a new email. Hopefully, this would all work out for her. She was starting to become afraid that if this continued, she'd end up overwhelming Brittany with how much she's trying to occupy herself by helping her girlfriend out. Making breakfast two times in a row and now cleaning her house? Santana knew the longer she went without work, the more she would hang around her girlfriend as she tried to fill the gap her job would leave. Brittany didn't seem like the type to mind but you never really know.

Her phone pulls her out of her thoughts when the email arrives. Thankfully it was the one she was waiting for because Santana didn't think she could take any false alarms.

All that the email contained was a phone number and an address.

Santana nervously walked up to the front door of the house. She had called and was happy to find out that the girl's parents were willing to sit down and talk. She rang the doorbell and it didn't take very long before Mrs. Carter was opening the door.

"Ms. Lopez! It's nice to see you! Please, come in." Mrs. Carter said while giving Santana a big hug. Santana awkwardly hugged her back, not used to such open affection from anyone besides Brittany and Ariana.

"Thank you, Mrs. Carter."

"Please, call me Shirley!"

Santana nodded her understanding and stepped inside. Shirley quickly shut the door and led Santana into the living room.

"Where is Mr. Carter?"

"Jack is working right now."

"How is Molly doing?" Santana asked. Molly was her first head cheerleader. She was young when she started and Molly had already been on the squad for three years. It was an easy choice to pick out a senior and they had worked together to figure out how to handle the squad.

"She's fabulous! She is on the dean's list and is getting straight A's. We're so proud!"

"With good reason, it seems." Santana knew Molly would do well in college. High school seemed to be just too easy for her. "Mrs. Car-Shirley, I wanted to talk to you about possible having Molly go on record for me. I don't know if you've heard about what has been happening at the school but-"

Shirley cut Santana off. "I've heard, dear. It's a shame, really. I can't imagine why anybody would want to do this to you. I know you are innocent so you don't have to convince me."

Santana was relieved. It was always refreshing to hear that. "Thank you, Shirley. That means a lot. Do you think it would be possible?"

"I'm sure she would have no problem but we'd have to ask her."

"Well, under the circumstances, I would actually prefer it if we were able to talk to her together. I'm sure you understand that meeting up with a past head cheerleader of mine wouldn't look great for my case right now."

Shirley nodded. "You're probably right. She gets out of class in about ten minutes. Do you think you can wait until then and we will give her a call?"

"That'd be fine. Perfect, actually. I want to thank you for this as well. Not many people would let somebody with such a bad reputation into their house." Santana rolled her eyes, thinking of all the weird looks she has already gotten, even though this whole situation was still relatively new.

The two women chatted idly for the next ten minutes. Santana couldn't help but check her phone periodically, eager to see if Molly would be willing to help her. Finally, the time had come to make the call.

Shirley dialed the number and put it on speaker. It took four rings before Molly picked it up. "Hi, mom!"

"Hello, dear. I'm here with your old cheerleading coach, Ms. Lopez."

"Am I on speaker?"

"Yes."

"Hey Ms. L!"

Santana laughed, she was starting to feel a little old. "Hey, Molly."

"So what do you guys need? Or did you just want to talk?" Molly asked. She was happy to hear from Santana.

Santana looked to Shirley, not exactly sure how to initiate this conversation. Noticing the look, Shirley spoke up. "Actually, Molly, we have something to ask you. Santana is in a bit of a situation. Do you remember Britney?"

"That little snot that always had to have her way, even at Sasha's birthday party?" Molly asked, remembering a blonde girl who almost ruined her little sister's birthday four years ago.

Santana laughed. "Yes. She has accused Santana of taking advantage of her, her best friend, and the previous head cheerleaders." Shirley answered.

"Including me?"

"Including you." Santana said.

"Well I certainly don't remember that happening. No offense, Coach, but you were so lost I don't think you could've if you had wanted to!"

"I agree with you. I would've gotten fired within a week if it weren't for you helping me out!" Santana said, remembering how terrible she had started out when she wasn't used to having to make routines and schedules all by herself. Now Santana was gaining more confidence, realizing Molly hadn't changed at all and already accepted her innocence. "I have two testimonials that go against me. It'd be nice if I could have one in my court."

"No problem, Ms. L. What do you need me to do?" Molly asked, already knowing she'd do whatever she could to help her old coach.

"I'm sure you could call in and share your side of this. Just call the school and talk to Mr. Jordan." Santana suggested.

"I don't know about that. I think you should come and give your piece in person, Molly." Shirley interjected. She was a mother who missed her child and this was an opportunity to have her daughter visit home, even if the circumstances were less than perfect.

"You're just trying to get me to come home!" Molly called her mother out.

"You can't blame me for trying! I feel like I never see you!" Shirley argued.

"Okay. I get it. I'll come tomorrow after classes. Will that work?"

"That's fine with me." Santana felt she had to say. She was just happy to have something that will hopefully give her some credit.

"That's wonderful! Oh I can't wait to see you!" Shirley exclaimed.

"I've got to go to my next class now, mom. I'll see you tomorrow. How about you, Coach?"

"I don't know. I'll see. Bye, Molly."

"Fair enough. Bye Coach! Bye Mom!"

"Bye dear!" Shirley said before she hung up the phone.

The two women sat in silence for a minute, thinking over the conversation. After that, Santana stood up. "Well, I think I should be going. Thank you for everything, really."

Shirley stood up and hugged Santana again. "Anytime, Santana. You've always been Molly's favorite coach. That's saying something because she went through many teams and clubs." She laughed. The two walked to the door.

"Thanks for coming. If you need anything else, just let us know." Shirley called as Santana walked out of the door. Santana waved back in response.

Santana was in such a good mood now. She texted Quinn, telling her that she was picking Ariana up and taking her out for ice cream. Quinn asked Santana if she could keep Ariana until after dinner to which Santana immediately agreed.

The next person she texted was Brittany.

* * *

><p><strong>You, me, Ari. Dinner date? –San<strong>

Brittany smiled. That sounded like the perfect way to spend some time tonight. She replied, sending her confirmation. It didn't take long for her phone to buzz again.

**Great! I can't wait to see my two favorite girls -San**

Brittany couldn't stop smiling. Santana sounded really happy and it was a nice change. Lately, her girlfriend always seemed to have a dark cloud over her. Sure, Santana would laugh and play but there were the quiet moments where she would see the brunette frowning and looking deep in thought. Hopefully the night would be a nice distraction.

Brittany found Ariana in her classroom at the end of the day. The little girl was happy to see Brittany as always.

"Britty! What are you doing here?"

"Hey there, Ari. San is picking us up."

"Both of us?" Ariana asked. She was used to seeing her aunt pick up Brittany but she only got to go with on special occasions.

"Yea. You ready?" In true kid fashion, she said that she was before tearing around and gathering up her stuff, proving that she really wasn't.

Brittany took this time to talk to Ariana's teacher. "Hello, Mrs. Anderson."

"Brittany! It's nice to see you again. I take it you're picking up Ariana?"

Brittany nodded. Ariana's teacher kind of scared her a little bit. When she first found out Brittany was dating Santana, she asked a lot of questions and it confused her.

Ariana saved the day by yelling from across the room. "READY BRITTY!"

"Ariana. Please, no yelling." Mrs. Anderson scolded the young girl.

"Sorry, Mrs. A. Let's gooooo." Ariana bounced as she turned from her teacher to Brittany.

"Bye Mrs. Anderson."

"Goodbye Brittany."

The two blondes left the classroom, Ariana eagerly pulling Brittany by the hand. The young girl headed straight for the place where Santana usually parked. Once she saw the car, she gave up on Brittany going any faster and dropped her hand to run to her aunt. Santana got out of the car to catch Ariana, who had jumped up with her arms outstretched.

"AUNT TANA!"

"Ari!" Santana yelled, although much quieter than Ariana had.

She spun the kid around in a circle, legs swinging out. Brittany kept a safe distance until both of Ariana's feet were safely on the ground again.

"Hey babe." Santana leaned over the top of Ariana's head and met Brittany for a kiss.

"Let's gooooo." Ariana whined, hoping to get some serious bonding time started with her Aunt Tana.

"Oh fine. Maybe I should just drop you off at home." Santana suggested, winking at Brittany who smiled back.

"No! Please don't do that! I want to play with you and Britty! Let's go to the park. Please?" Ariana begged, looking to Brittany for some help.

"San, please?" Brittany said, just to humor Ariana.

"Oh fine. Let's go squirt." Santana said, happy to help her ladies into the car.

* * *

><p>A*N – Late update, but new laptop! Also, Rumors was on as I wrote this. Watching Songbird as I write? Intense. (Like camping!) Rest of the episode? Depressing. Not to mention, how is Naya not nominated for anything?<p>

It was fun to hear all of your suggestions for possible careers for Santana. If you have any more, keep 'em coming!

Thanks to all of you lovely people for reading this! A million thanks to those who review/favorite/alert. Finally, an infinite number of thanks to those of you who have been recommending me and my stories to others!


	16. Chapter 16

Ariana's best friend happened to be at the park when the trio got there. The little girl was torn between staying with Santana and Brittany and going over to play with her friend, who happened to bring her new puppy.

Santana saw the conflict on Ariana's face and told her to go play with her friend. Still a little hesitant, she left the two older women and ran over to her best friend. She was soon distracted when the puppy jumped up to her and licked her face. The two little girls took off running, sometimes chasing the small black lab and sometimes running from him.

"That's so cute!" Brittany said, smiling at the two girls and the puppy.

Santana smiled and nodded in agreement, grabbing Brittany's hand and moving towards the swings. As Brittany sits down, Santana moves around behind her to start pushing her.

"San?"

"Yea, Britt?"

"How are you doing about all of this? All I've heard is about what is happening, not how you are feeling." Brittany was slightly nervous to ask this. She knew it wasn't like Santana to share her every feeling if she could help it. She could only hope that her girlfriend wouldn't get mad at her for asking.

"I'm not used to sharing my feelings. You know that." Santana couldn't deny that part of her wanted to talk to Brittany about this. Maybe having an outlet for her feelings would help her sort through them. Multiple fights and drunken nights throughout her years may have been prevented if she didn't feel the need to keep her feelings bottled up. Her mother had taught her feelings were something for weak people. They were something to be used against you.

Brittany drug her feet on the ground, slowing herself to a stop. Santana grabbed the chains, holding the swing in place once it came to a complete stop. Brittany then reached around and pulled Santana in front of her. She tugged on her girlfriend's hips until she got the idea. Santana looped her legs underneath Brittany's arms and between the chains and her body, resulting in them looking like a spider as they swung. Instead of grabbing the chains, Santana clasped her hands around Brittany's neck and the two worked together, pumping their legs and leaning, to start swinging again.

After a bit of silence, Brittany tried again. "You know, you can talk to me about this. I don't want you to feel like you need to keep things from me. I'm a big girl now, I wear thongs!"

Santana had to laugh at that line. Something about Brittany just put her at ease. She took a minute to compose her thoughts as she watched Ariana play for a bit.

"I'm scared. Nervous. Worried."

Brittany was happy to hear Santana say this. She wasn't happy that the brunette felt that way, but it was nice to hear her open up a little bit. "Why?"

Santana figured that if she already started, she could continue. "If they somehow find me guilty, I've got that on my record forever. I won't be able to find another job like this, working with kids. Who knows? I might even have to have supervised visits with Ari or something. Mercedes found out that Mr. Jordan has so far put my suspension as non-paid days off. If I manage to beat this, it will only look like I've been sick for a couple of days. It's just...I am not one to get lucky. I have a feeling this won't turn out how I hope it will."

Brittany tried to think of how best to comfort Santana. Most people believed she was innocent. If it wasn't for the planted evidence and the two girls who "confessed" to being with Santana, this would've been an open and shut case. The blonde wanted nothing more than to magically snap her fingers and have Santana's life be perfect, just like she deserved. "We'll beat this, San. You have so many people on your side. I'm not going anywhere." Santana smiled at that, trying to keep in distant tears. "I am here for whatever you need."

Both had stopped working to keep the swing going and it slowed to a stop. Brittany let go of the chains and wrapped her arms around Santana, pulling her as close as possible. She heard a scoffing sound and noticed a slightly older woman giving them a nasty look. Brittany knew some people would react to the two of them like this but she was happy Santana didn't notice. Keeping her grip tight around her girlfriend, Brittany stuck her tongue out at the disapproving lady before pulling back to give Santana a sweet kiss.

Santana kissed back before pulling away, wiping away the few stray tears that had managed to escape. "Thank you, Brittany. I needed that."

Brittany smiled back. "Anytime."

The two girls got off of the swings. They held hands and just walked around the park, keeping an eye on Ariana as they watched all of the other kids playing. As the rounded the jungle gym, Ariana waved them over.

"Aunt Tana! Britty! Isn't this puppy the greatest?" Ariana laughed as her friend was attacked by a slobbery tongue. The two older women laughed and nodded.

"Do you think my mom will let me get one?" Ariana asked hopefully, still eyeing the tiny ball of fur.

"I don't know, Ari." Santana answered truthfully, hating to see the little girl's smile slowly fade. "How about this?" Santana asked, suddenly getting an idea. "I sometimes get pretty lonely when I'm home alone. We'll get you a kitten." Ariana's smile slowly grew back. "But, since your mother doesn't really like pets, we'll keep it at my house. Then I'll have a friend for when I'm all alone and you can still visit it whenever you want."

Ariana squealed in delight. She quickly got up and hugged Santana as tightly as she could around her legs, almost making her fall to the ground. Luckily, Brittany was there to help her keep her balance. After squeezing the life out of Santana, Ariana sat back down with her friend and the two started to decide on names and what kind of cat the young girl should get.

"Fifteen more minutes, Ari. Then we have got to go." Santana told the girl who nodded before going back to her conversation.

She tugged Brittany's hand and they continued their walk again.

"That was so sweet of you, San."

Santana tried to hide her slightly reddening cheeks. Even after being with Brittany so much, it didn't take much for the blonde to make her blush. "Well, I hate seeing that kid sad. Plus, I think this is a good way to start thanking her for getting me my wonderful girlfriend so much sooner than I would've on my own."

Brittany laughed. "Aww, you would've gotten me eventually."

"I wouldn't count on that. Just be happy Ariana is a secret matchmaker from heaven, sent to bring us together."

"Do you have any crackers?" Brittany suddenly asked, throwing Santana off.

"What?" Santana scrunched up her face in confusion.

"I'm sorry. It was just that you said something really cheesy." Brittany grinned as Santana playfully shoved her. Brittany pushed her back and started to run away, leaving her girlfriend to sprint after her.

It didn't take long for Santana to catch up, mainly because Brittany wanted her to. She was tackled by the brunette, giggling as they both fell to the ground.

Santana had Brittany pinned on her stomach, sitting on her butt and holding her hands above her head as she tickled her. Brittany tried to playfully yell for help between her bursts of laughter. Santana was surprised when somebody tried to come to her girlfriend's rescue as she felt a small body jump onto her back.

"I'll help you, Britty! Rawr!" Ariana yelled out, giggling as she joined in.

Santana let Brittany go and quickly wrapped her arms around Ariana's legs, holding her safely as she got up and started running around. The young girl screamed in delight as she got a piggyback ride, Brittany chasing after them.

After a few more minutes, they all made their way back to the car with Ariana still riding on Santana's back. She turned around and dumped the small girl into the backseat, hearing a fit of giggles as she quickly moved to buckle herself before her aunt could help her. "Done!" Ariana shouted, holding up her hands as if it was a contest. Santana laughed and shook her head, wondering where that idea came from until she heard a huff from the front seat. Brittany was slightly tangled in the seatbelt from her position in the passenger seat.

"You are fast!" Brittany admitted as she slowly untangled herself to put her seatbelt on the right way.

Santana shook her head at the two before getting in the car and taking off towards her place.

"Here you go, madams. Your meal is served." Santana said, setting two plates of mac and cheese in front of the two blondes sitting at the table. Santana went back for her own plate but before she sat down, her cell phone rang. After a quick conversation with Quinn about how Ariana was getting home she sat down to eat. The three talked about whatever came to their minds. When everybody was done, they piled into the car, the two blondes once again racing to get in the fastest, and drove to Quinn's.

Santana walked in first, not bothering to knock since she never did when she came with Ariana in tow anyways. Making her way to the living room, she had to awkwardly clear her throat before Quinn and Sam jumped apart, both blushing furiously at having been caught making out like teenagers. Ariana and Brittany both stumbled in. Brittany immediately noticed the awkward tension in the air and looked between Santana and the two on the couch. Ariana just run up to her parents and climbed up between them.

"Mom! Dad! Guess what?" Ariana asked, looking between the two. She was too excited to wait for an answer and just kept talking. "Aunt Tana is getting me a kitty!"

Sam smiled and said "That's great!" at the same time that Quinn frowned and asked "What?"

Santana pushed the image of the two on the couch out of her mind and stepped further into the living room, Brittany followed. "Chill out, Q. It would stay at my house but it would essentially be hers. She can name it and come and play with it and I'll take care of the dirty stuff and food and such."

That calmed Quinn considerably and she turned to her daughter once again. "That's great, honey. Now, I think it's time for a bath. Have your father help you and we'll talk more after, okay?" Ariana agreed and took Sam by the hand as she dragged him to the bathroom, babbling about her day the whole way.

Quinn turned to the other two women, taking a deep breath in preparation of the serious explaining she had to do. Santana just arched her eyebrow and waited for the explanation. Brittany looked quickly between the two, trying to figure out what was happening.

"I can explain." Quinn started.

"You better be able to. What if Ariana had seen that?" Santana asked.

Brittany jumped in, wanting to know what was going on. "What did I miss?"

Santana stared at Quinn, waiting for her to answer both questions. "Brittany, Santana walked in on me and Sam kissing." Santana snorted. "Okay, making out." Brittany nodded, showing she understood. "I was hoping you would knock like a normal person, therefore preventing Ariana from seeing it. I guess we got lucky that you were able to prevent that."

"That still doesn't explain _why, _Q. You know how I feel about this." Santana said, hoping to save everybody from as much possible hurt as she could. Despite what many thought, she really was a good person when it came to the people she cared about.

"Sam was just coming over for dinner. We were doing that check in thing that we usually do, you know? When we talk about how Ariana is doing in school and anything that worries us about her. This time we didn't have much new information to talk about since we've been spending a lot more time together. We started talking about our lives and I realized how much I really do miss him. It didn't work out before because he was immature, right? He was always doing those stupid impressions that nobody really understood but now he's grown up a bit. He has a job and his own place and maybe we both needed time. It feels, right, with him."

Quinn ended her explanation there, looking up to find a worried expression on Santana's face and a sympathetic one on Brittany's. She looked back over to the brunette when she heard her sigh. "Quinn," The blonde knew it was a serious moment when Santana used her whole first name and not just the first letter. "If this is what makes you happy, go for it. Just, please be sure because I don't want this to hurt Ariana and get her hopes up. I also want you to be sure because the last thing you need is another broken heart, okay?"

Brittany steps up and holds Santana's hand, looking at Quinn to show that she agreed with what her girlfriend had just said. Quinn just walked up to the two and hugged them both, whispering a quiet "Thank you" to both of them.

Santana just nodded and called out a goodbye to Ariana. Brittany also shouted out a quick farewell. The two faintly heard a high voice yell out "Bye Tana and Britty!"

They nodded to Quinn before leaving. As they got in the car Brittany reached for Santana's hand again and gave it a quick squeeze. "You were great in there."

Santana smiled and squeezed back in thanks before stealing a kiss that quickly turned a little heated. She pulled away breathless before asking Brittany something. "Where to?"

"My place." Brittany answered right away and Santana smiled at what that had hinted at. "Tina should be there, too. She'll want to hear Sam's doing good because she told me how bad she still feels even if it was mutual." Santana deflated a little at hearing Tina's going to be there. Not that she didn't like Tina, it was just a little inconvenient. "Then once we talk to her and pick me up some clothes we can head back to yours." Brittany whispered in Santana's ear, making the girl shiver and smirk once again before starting the car and taking off.

* * *

><p>Santana patiently waited at the school. Molly and Mrs. Carter were both on their way to give statements. Shirley had decided to speak up, talking about how neither her nor her daughter had ever felt uncomfortable and had never been hit on by Santana. It wasn't exactly much but Santana figured anything could help.<p>

She saw the Carter's car pull up and was surprised to see three people inside. It confused her but shrugged it off as Molly had just brought a friend. It was an odd occasion to bring a friend to, though.

To say she was surprised when Tessa Richmond, her head cheerleader after Molly, walked out of the car was probably an understatement. She walked over to the car and shook the hands of all three women. "Thank you so much for coming, it's nice to see you again, Tessa."

"It's nice to see you again, too, Ms. Lopez. I wish it was under better circumstances. That Britney was always a bitch."

"May I ask why you decided to tag along?"

"Well, Molly here called me up. She told me the story and I'm here to say my part. I'm pretty sure you never took advantage of me because, and no offense here Coach, you just aren't my type."

Santana laughed, enjoying the feeling of knowing another person was on her side. "Thank you. It means a lot. Thank you all, actually."

The other three smiled at Santana and then followed her inside. She had called Mr. Jordan earlier to let him know what she was doing and he seemed happy to hear something going right in her favor. He walked out to greet the group of women. "Hello, it's nice to see you all again. Right this way." Mr. Jordan led the four women into a small room where a few board members sat so the three could write their statements.

Santana just nervously watched on as the others wrote. The other board members quietly spoke down on the other end of the table. Santana was forced to sit a little off to the side by herself so she couldn't influence the others in any way. She was happy that Mrs. Carter, Molly, and Tessa were all willing to do this for her but she couldn't help the little voice in the back of her mind that said it wouldn't be enough. Last night, in the cuddle time after more rigorous activities, Brittany had discussed possibilities of what she could do if all else fails.

Brittany's first suggestion was to open a choreographing company together. Santana could manage it and Brittany would do the actual choreography. While Santana thought that was a great idea, she pointed out that they might have to do cheerleading routines or younger dance teams and it wouldn't look good to have someone with a record like Santana would if considered guilty. Brittany pouted but moved on.

Next, she suggested a firefighter or police officer. Santana noticed Brittany's eyes glaze over a little bit as Santana discussed having to wear those uniforms and she realized that it was suggested because Brittany apparently had a fantasy about those occupations. She mentioned the danger and the blonde quickly changed her mind about those careers.

Another few suggestions brought lawyer, doctor, and dentist and Santana thought about them. She reasoned that she couldn't be a doctor or dentist because her father kind of ruined those occupations for her by telling her plenty of horror stories during their poor attempts at bonding. Lawyer was a possibility but Santana also felt it would take too long to go back to school and either way she would need a job to support her in the meantime.

She had a few laughs when Brittany suggested astronaut. It was another suggestion that Brittany quickly took back when Santana discussed about how she would need to be gone for years at a time if that happened.

The suggestion of becoming a partner with Puck at his bar was one she liked. It wouldn't take much because she wouldn't have to move or go to many years of school for. Plus, she would be working with Brittany a lot more and any extra time she got with her girlfriend was fine with her.

Just as they were about to fall asleep, Santana could've sworn she heard Brittany mumble something about a personal servant that really got her fantasies going.

She was shaken from her many thoughts when Tessa, apparently the last one to still be writing, slammed her pen down and said "Done, now let's get some food!" Santana laughed to herself, realizing that Tessa hadn't seemed to change much.

"Thank you for your time and efforts, ladies. These will be reviewed by the full board along with the others that we have. We hope to have a decision on whether or not to take this to a more serious level soon. Santana, may I speak with you quickly before you leave?" Mr. Jordan asked.

"Yea, I just want to say goodbye and a thank you, if you don't mind." Santana said before leading the women out to the front lobby.

"Seriously, I can't thank you all enough. No matter what happens with this, I am so glad to have some people on my side who know I'm innocent." Santana hugged and parted with the three before they left and Santana went back to Mr. Jordan's office.

"Ms. Lopez, please sit down." Santana did as she was told. "I have to say I was impressed when you told me of your plan. It is nice to know that you still have some things up your sleeve."

"I was actually given the idea by a student who shall remain nameless. One I didn't feel up when no one was looking." Santana said sarcastically.

Mr. Jordan sighed, knowing that was kind of deserved. "I'm sorry this is happening, Santana. For all that it matters," Mr. Jordan leaned forward and whispered the next part. "I know you're innocent. Britney has constantly been doing things like this over the years but it never gets out because her father gets into it and bails her out."

Santana nodded. She had heard rumors but never really cared about them too much since they never affected her. At least, until now that is.

Returning to his normal volume of voice, he continued. "These should hopefully give the extra push to convince the others that you are innocent. However, Britney's father has once again come to the rescue and he is bribing some of the board. Most of them are refusing to work with him but a few have already turned. We still have the majority but his offers get higher and higher the more they refuse. I am just hoping to get this over with before anything can go wrong. I know you've heard that I haven't put anything against you on your record but I can't help it if this moves to a higher power." Santana nodded again, knowing he was right and hating that the board members were getting away with their bribes. "I will call you as soon as I hear anything. Take care until then, Santana."

"Thank you, sir. It means a lot to have you on my side even if that bastard can make a few of the board members swing." Santana shook his hand as she stood up and left.

* * *

><p>Brittany was happy to hear of the new developments in Santana's case via text messages. Santana told her about Tessa's surprise visit. She was also pleased to find out how Mr. Jordan had shared his support with Santana. It would always warm her heart to hear more people on her girlfriend's side.<p>

When she got off from work, she got a ride from Quinn to Santana's house. She wanted to surprise her girlfriend with flowers and so they made a quick stop there. She even bought a rose for Ariana, making the little girl fall in love with her even more on accident. She had told Santana that she had to stay a little bit later than usual because of some meeting and Santana had promised to wait.

After she thanked Quinn and Ariana wished her "good luck!" she rushed up to Santana's front door. Ringing the doorbell, Brittany waited as Santana opened the door with a confused face. Her expression quickly changed to shock and then to happiness as she registered Brittany standing in front of her with a shy smile and holding out a dozen roses. She squealed, which she didn't even know she _could _do. "Oh my God, babe! For me?" She asked, just to be sure. When Brittany nodded, Santana jumped up and down with a huge smile on her face and hugged her girlfriend tightly.

"Can't…breathe." Brittany sputtered out happily. She loved having Santana hold her so tightly but she really did need to breathe.

"Sorry, I am just so happy! Nobody has _ever_ gotten me flowers. Usually I am the one giving them. It's just what I needed." Santana gushed, not even caring about how un-badass she sounded.

"In that case, can I get a kiss?" Brittany asked playfully.

"No. You're getting much more than that." Santana switched to her seductive voice before dragging Brittany inside and slamming the door shut behind her. She quickly put the roses in a vase and then went back to the living room where Brittany was seated on the couch. She straddled the blonde, who smiled happily at this and reached her hands around to rest them on Santana's ass.

"If this is the reaction I get every time I give you flowers, I'm buying a flower shop." Brittany smirked but was quickly distracted by Santana kissing her as if she was the only thing to keep the brunette alive. When she pulled away she caught her breath. "Okay, just don't break me. I have to work tonight."

"Shut up, babe."

* * *

><p>A*N – I tried to put a few of your ideas for occupations in here with Brittany's suggestions. I really liked the different ideas you guys had and I am guilty of thinking up a few mini-fics with them but they were just ideas and probably won't see the light of day.<p>

Speaking of other fics, I want to thank everybody who went and read my quick Quinn one-shot. Also, I was recently given a few amazing awesome prompts for fics. They include a couple multi-chapter ones but I want to finish this one first!

Again, thanks for sticking with this! You guys still make my day every time you review/favorite/alert!


	17. Chapter 17

"Meno-paws!"

"Menopause?"

"No. Meno-paws!" Ariana emphasized the last part of that word by holding up her hands like animal claws.

"What? Why?"

"It's what my daddy suggested when we talked about kitty names before he tucked me in last night! Oh and my daddy got to sleep over with mommy last night!" Brittany had to smile at the child's enthusiasm, that is, until she remembered the name suggested by Sam.

"Ari, I don't think that's the best name. We can come up with a super awesome one that blows that one out of the water!"

"Have you ever had a kitty?" Ariana was curious. Britty would be ten times more awesome if she did. The question suddenly seemed to bring up interest in all of Ariana's friends that were sitting nearby at the lunch table.

"I've had two!" Ariana gasped and her friends looked at each other with their mouths open, as if that was the most shocking, yet exciting news ever.

"Really?" Brittany nodded. "What did you name them?"

"I named my first cat Charity."

"Why?" Ariana didn't mean to interrupt. Her mother always told her it wasn't polite. It was just that her need to know why overshadowed her manners at the moment.

"It was because my parents gave her to me for giving away some of my stuff to charity. It was the first time I had heard that word and I thought it was pretty."

"And your other one?"

"Lord Tubbington!" The small kindergarteners giggled at the funny name. They looked to the woman for another explanation. "He was a big cat. I almost named him Jiggles because he was so big. Then I found out that it wasn't really his fault, he was just big boned. Every time I tried to give him a bath in Charity's little tub, he was too big. We had to get a brand new one just for him and the brand of the tub was Tubbington. I caught him smoking cigars within the first week I had gotten him and I knew that only fancy people smoked them. That meant he needed a fancy title so that's where the lord part comes from."

After Brittany's story, the kids took their turns sharing how they named their own pets. Ariana listened intently, focusing on finding out how to find the perfect name for her future kitty.

"What are we all talking about here?" Mrs. Anderson had come over, noticing the excited chatter coming from her students.

"My Aunt Tana is getting me a kitty and we were talking about names!" Ariana explained before turning back and continuing her discussion with her classmates.

Brittany decided she was done so she quickly and politely said goodbye to the kids, smiling when some of them protested her departure, and went to throw her garbage away. It wasn't until she turned away from the garbage that she realized Mrs. Anderson followed her.

"So, Santana is so sweet to Ariana, isn't she?" Mrs. Anderson started with polite conversation.

Brittany was once again a little freaked out. "Uh…yea. She's a great person. It'll be Ariana's present for helping me and her get together."

"Oh?" Mrs. Anderson was hoping for more details.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"If your name is Mrs. Anderson, are you married?" It was something that had been bugging Brittany for a while now. If a teacher was going to hit on her girlfriend, shouldn't they at least be single?

The question barely fazed the teacher, however. "I went through a divorce earlier this year. It was recently finalized but I felt changing my title after the school year has started would just confuse the kids even more."

Brittany nodded but before she could reply, Coach Beiste called for her. She quickly excused herself and went to the coach's side.

"Hey Coach, what did you need?"

"Nothing, it just looked like it was getting awkward there."

Brittany smiled. She was lucky to have Coach Beiste. "You are right. I didn't know what to say. Every time she speaks to me, it involves Santana or my relationship with her. It's getting to stalker levels."

"Yea, even before her divorce she was a little weird." Coach Beiste admitted.

Brittany laughed as the two women took their time walking back to the gym to get ready for their next classes. Her phone vibrated and she excused herself once again.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe."

"Oh, hey San! What's up buttercup?"

"Buttercup?" Santana laughed. She smiled when she looked over once again, just like she had so many times that day, to the vase of roses that she had moved to the living room. She was in there to watch television but half the time she just ended up goofily smiling at them.

"Psh. You like it." Brittany said confidently.

"I do." Santana admitted shyly. "I just wanted to call and tell you that the school reviewed everything."

"Aaaaand?" Brittany asked when Santana didn't elaborate.

"They won't let me know until tomorrow. I have to go in for another meeting and they should let me know then."

"You are such a tease!"

Santana laughed, despite her nervousness about the meeting. "That's what you said yesterday."

Brittany doesn't answer, getting herself lost in memories of yesterday. It was a great time and she in no way regretted getting those roses.

"Britt?" Santana became worried she had said something wrong when she didn't get an answer.

"S-sorry." Brittany tried to shake herself out of it.

"Where'd you go?"

Brittany mumbled something that Santana couldn't quite catch. "What?"

"I was remembering yesterday!"

Santana smirked at Brittany's rushed out response. It was endearing to hear the blonde get shy about checking out in favor of their hot times yesterday. "Aww. You're cute."

Brittany was glad to be in a deserted hallway because anybody walking by would see her reddened cheeks. She decided to change the subject to avoid further embarrassment. "So how are you feeling about it all?"

Santana took a second to answer. She was ready for this question and was slowly warming up to the idea of sharing more with her girlfriend. It still helped her to take a slow breath before speaking, though. "I'm really scared, actually. What if I'm guilty? Everybody will be disgusted with me. It won't matter what they thought anymore because a guilty verdict would be the truth."

"Honey, a guilty verdict would be a lie. Everybody who is important knows that."

"There are only a few people who really and truly are with me. I've seen the stares. I know you've tried to distract me but I've seen them when I walk into the school for the meetings and when I run to the store that's closer to the school. It-it hurts."

"I'm sorry. You don't deserve any of this and I know I've said it before but it's the truth. Ariana lights up whenever she talks about you or sees you because you are such an amazing person. I am with you because of who you are."

Santana sighs. She wasn't sure if it was in relief or in disbelief. She decided it was relief because she found herself wearing a small smile. Talking to Brittany had such a weird calming effect on her. That was probably why she found herself calling her girlfriend as soon as she heard the nerve-wracking news and texted her all of the time. "Thanks, babe. You always seem to know just what to say. Or maybe it's just your voice."

Brittany smiled. It always made her feel better to know she made Santana feel even the slightest bit less worried. She couldn't hear her own thoughts as a rowdy group of first graders came down the hallway on their way to the gym. "Sorry San, I have to go. The kids are coming! I'll talk to you later. Text me! Love you bye!"

"Love you too, Britt. Bye." Santana hung up the phone quickly to cut off the noise of the screaming children in the background. She could deal with Ariana every day for the rest of her life but to deal with so many young kids in a day would probably drive her crazy. Brittany was definitely some kind of super angel.

Santana thought about last night. She had spent some time at the bar before heading home early and waiting up for Brittany. She tried to not stay constantly at Puck's bar when Brittany worked to give her some time apart when she was working, even though the bar had a quite a bit of sentimental value because it was where they met. It was usually when Quinn and Mercedes didn't come out that she would leave early. Lately she didn't mind because she would come home and find one of Brittany's shirts or sweatshirts lying around. Instead of panicking like old Santana would have, she found it comforting how more and more of the blonde's stuff was finding a home at Santana's. She would usually wear one of the discarded tops or curl up with it pressed to her face until she fell asleep, breathing in Brittany's calming scent.

What she didn't know was when Brittany was done working, she hadn't even thought twice about going straight to Santana's. She opened the door with the spare key that was hidden in a special spot in the door frame. She worked her way back into Santana's bedroom through memory, not wanting to turn on any lights and wake up the sleeping brunette. She couldn't help but feel a warm feeling inside when she noticed Santana wearing her favorite dance team shirt. It had Pierce written on the back and it never looked better. As she slowly changed, she thought about how much fun it was to be behind the bar and goofing around with Puck like old times. He became serious for a bit as they spoke about how things with Santana were and how Mercedes and him were holding up.

When Brittany crawled into bed, she scooted as close as she could to wrap her arms around Santana's waist and pull her close. As gently as she moved, Santana still stirred when she felt the arms around her waist. All Brittany could hear was "Mmm, Britt" before the girl in her arms wiggled backwards so they could be closer together. In that moment, she knew it was all she needed and she was reminded of how she wouldn't mind coming home to this every night.

Smiling and thinking about how nice it was to have Brittany's clothes made her decide it was time for her to go shopping. It was something Quinn had started. Whenever they were feeling too stressed they would either go shopping or go to a salon to get a haircut or mani/pedi. She wanted to call Quinn but she knew that her friend was working. Just like all of her other friends. It was a lonely thought but she eyed the roses once again and immediately felt better.

* * *

><p>When Santana got back to her apartment, she felt quite a bit better. She had gotten a bunch of new clothes, some new lingerie, and even a few articles of clothing for Brittany. To further her relaxation she had turned off her cell phone, texting Brittany so she knew why she wouldn't answer for a bit. As she made her way back to her bedroom to drop off her new purchases, she turned on her phone. Santana expected to have a text or two from Brittany but what she really saw worried her.<p>

**Satan – tried calling a bunch of times! Need you to answer your phone I have some news for you! – Mercedes**

**Mercedes just told me! Win? – Q**

**Damnit answer your phone woman! - Mercedes**

**Mercedes called me trying to get ahold of you. Call her back - Britt**

Santana was thoroughly confused to say the least. Her fingers fumbled in their haste to find Mercedes' number to call her best friend.

"FINALLY!"

"What's up, Weezy?"

"Guess what I heard? Good news for you!"

"Well, what the hell is it?"

"Tia told Mr. Jordan she made up what she said!" Mercedes practically yelled into the phone in her excitement.

"W-what?" Santana couldn't believe what was being said. It seems like that would be too good to be true. After everything that has happened, why would Tia admit that it wasn't true now? "What's the rest? There's got to be more to this story."

"I heard through some of my students that it was over a guy. Tia had a huge crush on one of the jocks, don't remember his name because he never even comes to my class like he's supposed to. Anyways, Britney knew about it and instead of being a friend and helping Tia, she hooked up with the guy and that was the last straw for Tia. She went to Mr. Jordan, said everything that Britney said about you was false and that she only said what she did because of Britney!"

"Wow." Santana was practically speechless. Thank God for teenage drama.

"I know, right?"

"Wait, how come I didn't know about this?"

"It just happened today. Not to mention you've had your phone off forever!"

"Relax, it was for an hour or so. Still, I didn't see any missed calls from the school. Shouldn't they have informed me of this?"

"Oh come on. You know the school sucks when it comes to important things. Plus, don't you have a meeting tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"They were probably just going to wait until then." Mercedes reasoned out.

"Yeah." Santana couldn't bring herself to say much else. She was still in a lot of shock.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that. I better get back inside the classroom before somebody gets hurt in there."

"You left teenagers alone in a room, unsupervised?" Santana asked, finally regaining some of her speech.

"Yea. I left some documentary on for them. Twenty bucks says there is at least one couple making out in the back when I walk in." Mercedes jokes, knowing it actually could be true. "Bye Santana. Oh, and don't forget to tell Brittany. She got kind of mad when I wouldn't tell her because I wanted you to know first."

"But you told Quinn." Santana remembered the text.

"She doesn't count. Bye!"

"Bye Mercedes. Thanks for telling me this."

"No problem. I'm happy for you, Santana." Mercedes hung up after that.

Santana took a second to compose herself. This was just the kind of thing she was hoping for but it was a shock to see it actually happen. Bad luck often came her way and so she just expected more to come. She was already trying to figure out where she could move to if she couldn't find another job.

She called Brittany, happy to have someone to share the news with. Her blonde girlfriend squealed in delight at the recent turn of events.

"That's so amazing, San! Finally things are going your way and you deserve it! I'm so happy! We need to go celebrate. I don't work at Puck's tonight so maybe we could get some drinks?"

Santana figured her friends would want to celebrate. She wasn't so sure it was the thing to do right now, though. The meeting wasn't until tomorrow and a lot of things can happen until then. It wasn't over until the official verdict came out.

"Actually, babe, can we just stay in? You and I can have dinner and just stay in and relax."

Brittany could tell that, even with the new developments in the case, Santana still felt as though she might be considered guilty. It was crazy to think that, Brittany reasoned, but kept silent about it because she knew it wouldn't exactly make Santana feel better if she called her crazy. "That sounds perfect, San. Will you come pick me up when I'm done here?"

"Of course. I'll see you soon?"

"Yes! Can't wait. Love you!"

"Love you too. Bye Britt." Santana hung up the phone and lay back on her bed. She knew that this was a good thing but something in the back of her mind kept telling her it wouldn't be enough. To distract herself, she tried to figure out what to make Brittany for their stay in dinner date.

Her next call was to Quinn.

"Hello?"

"Hey Q."

"Oh hey Santana! I'm guessing you heard the news? I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah." Quinn could hear the nervousness that still laced Santana's voice. She knew the other girl would talk to her if she needed to and would only shy away if she was pushed so she didn't comment on in. "I wanted to know if I can take Ariana again after school?"

"Umm…yea sure." Quinn smiled to herself. Not only would this give her more alone time to figure out things with Sam, she knew it would help Santana as well. For some reason, her daughter had a calming effect and whenever her best friend was really worried about something, she usually asked to babysit more.

"Thanks Q."

"No thank you! I'll just spend more time with Sam. Ariana has been so happy to see us together again." Quinn heard Santana's sigh and tried to ease her worries. "It's really working out, Santana. It's not like high school. It's so much better."

Santana didn't want to argue about this with Quinn and add to her stress. Instead she just skimmed over the topic. "Alright. I'll bring her back tonight sometime. Please don't be having sex on the couch or something this time. I'm still scared from just seeing your make out session."

"Bye Santana." Quinn said, knowing she wouldn't live that one down for a while.

"Bye Q."

Santana hung up the phone again and went to look through her cupboards. She decided there wasn't much to eat in her own kitchen so she took a trip to the store to waste away more time.

* * *

><p>When it came time to pick up her girls, she drove to the school. She let Brittany know that Ariana was joining them and was happy to find that her girlfriend became even more excited instead of pissed off like some of her past girlfriends had when Ariana unexpectedly joined them. She waited in her usual spot and her nerves were pushed away into the back of her mind when she saw her two favorite girls dancing around each other on the way to the car.<p>

"Aunt Tana!" Just like usual, Santana had braced herself for the little blonde ball of energy to jump into her arms. "Are we getting my kitty today?"

Santana laughed. Ariana didn't want to waste any time to get the little pet Santana had promised her. "Not today. I was thinking next weekend we could go. Then you have plenty of time to think of a name and I can get all of the stuff it'll need."

Ariana thought about it as she was being put down back on the ground by Santana. She finally agreed and walked over to the car to get inside. Santana took a moment to greet her girlfriend with a hug and a quick kiss. "Did you have a good day?"

Brittany nodded. "Ariana is quite a dancer. She's getting all of the stuff right away and she just improvises half the class away while the others try and catch up. It actually remind me of myself when I was little. Although, she's much quicker than I was."

"She is a smart little one. Don't worry though, you are too. It's just hard to compare to her." Santana had yet to pull away from Brittany, content to just sit here with her arms wrapped around her. That is, until they both heard a knocking noise.

They both looked to the car where Ariana was just staring at them.

"I guess she's ready to go." Santana said and finally pulled away. Brittany pouted at the loss of contact but Santana just reached up and kissed her pushed out bottom lip. "C'mon grumpy gills."

That comment made Brittany's smile come out and Santana had felt way better compared to the time before she had her emergency shopping session. As she got in the car she turned around to look at the happy young girl in the backseat who was digging around her backpack. She was about to ask Ariana if she was ready to go but was stopped before she could begin by a paper being shoved at her.

"What's this?" Santana asked, looking down at the drawing. It had three people on it and a kitten that was almost the size of the smallest person on the page.

"We had to draw a picture of our heroes today! They couldn't be our parents but they could be firefighters or cops or army guys. I couldn't decide between you and Britty so I drew both of you. I wanted you to have it, though, because if Mommy and Daddy see it they might get jealous."

Santana tried to hold in her happy tears. _So not badass, Lopez. Can't blame you though. This is just too fucking cute. _Santana noticed Brittany trying to crane her neck around to see the picture and so she turned it so she could see it properly. Brittany grinned, proud to be included in it.

"Don't you like it?" Ariana asked. She had taken the silence as a bad thing.

"I love it!" Santana said and she stretched back as much as she could to grab the small girls hand and place a quick kiss on it. "I want to hang it up on my fridge if that's okay with you?"

Ariana grinned, happy to have made something good enough to earn a spot on the fridge. Her mother would put all of her best grades and best artwork on the fridge at home so she knew it was a pretty big deal to go up there. "Of course Tana!"

Santana couldn't wipe the smile off of her face if her life depended on it.

That evening, the three watched two movies. Santana couldn't tell anybody what they were if they asked. She had been sitting snuggled into Brittany, with her girlfriend's arm wrapped tightly around her with her legs thrown across Brittany's. In her lap sat Ariana, curled up into her aunt. It was all Santana needed in the world at that moment as she banished all thoughts of the next day and the dreaded meeting.

* * *

><p>A*N – Posting this chapter in memory of when I used to be able to update more often. Sorry they've been more sporadic than usual and I can't promise that'll change. I know how much it sucks to be into a story and have them update all of the time and then suddenly there's nothing so I'm doing my best to not have that happen!<p>

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the whole Tia coming out with the truth twist! Many wishes of great things for all of you who continue to read/review/favorite/alert/recommend and generally make me want to keep writing! You guys are seriously the best!


	18. Chapter 18

When Santana woke up the next day, she knew it was going to be a bad day. She woke up cold with the blanket hanging off of the side of the bed. She immediately sensed her girlfriend wasn't around and that only made the day worse. It wasn't a good sign for her upcoming meeting.

Sighing, she rolled herself to the edge of the bed and used her momentum to swing up onto her feet. Santana slowly shuffled over to the door and as she was nearing the kitchen, she heard the front door softly shut. _Great. Wake up alone, become a certified pedophile, and get robbed all in a day. _Soft footsteps were making their way towards the kitchen and Santana quickly thought of what kind of weapon she would use to defend herself from whoever was creeping throughout her house. She had just reached for the nearest thing on the counter when she saw a figure enter the kitchen and held it in front of her.

"Oh! You're up. You weren't supposed to be up yet!" Brittany said, scanning her girlfriend. Her happiness at the skimpy clothes she was wearing was quickly replaced by confusion. "Why are you holding a banana?"

Santana was relieved when she realized it was only Brittany who had snuck into her house. She found it adorable that her girlfriend had taken precautions with her quietness so she wouldn't wake her up. Then she registered the question and looked down to indeed find a banana in her hand. "Um…"

"Did you think I was a monkey?" Brittany asked. Bananas always made her think of monkeys.

"What? No!"

Then it hit Brittany. "You thought I was some kind of robber?" Santana nodded in embarrassment, realizing how weird this situation was becoming. "And you were going to defend yourself with a banana?" Brittany raised an eyebrow in question.

"It was the closest thing!" Santana tried to defend her choice of defense. "Anyways, why weren't you in bed when I woke up?" She tried to hide the sadness in her voice and looked away to avoid further embarrassment.

"Aww you're so cute." Brittany walked up to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her to pull her close, smoothly hiding the things she was carrying. She put the things on the counter and pushed Santana up against it. "Well, when I woke up this morning, I looked over to find this beautiful girl who was about to wake up and deal with some tough things. I wanted her to wake up to something that'll make her smile. You were supposed to be sleeping when I came back!" Brittany huffed, once again being reminded that her plan kind of failed.

Santana tried to keep a straight face but her girlfriend was just too great. A shy smile worked its way onto her face as she reached her arms up and around her girlfriend's neck. "So, what did you get me?"

Brittany laughed at Santana's question. She subtly tried to push the things on the counter back farther but she was caught and her girlfriend tried to turn and see what was going on behind her.

"No!" Brittany said a little louder than she meant to. "You can't look! It'll ruin the surprise."

Santana grumbled under her breath but faced Brittany once again. "Fine." She pretended to be angry that she couldn't peek but inside she was really excited for her surprise.

Brittany just stared into the beautiful brown eyes in front of her, not moving as she built up some suspense. Santana squirmed a little, getting impatient. "C'mon babe! Let me see!"

Brittany laughed at the eagerness. "First, you have to give me a kiss." She grinned as Santana quickly leaned forward and gave a kiss that was over before Brittany could register it started. "Saaannn, I meant a real kiss."

"That was a real kiss!" Santana protested.

"You have to give me a kiss for at least five seconds." When Santana rolled her eyes, Brittany giggled. "Don't even act like you don't enjoy it."

That cracked Santana's poker face and a grin came through. She tangled her hands into blonde hair as she leaned forward and gave her girlfriend a hot kiss. Brittany moaned into it and reached down to Santana's thighs. She tugged upwards and Santana's feet left the ground with a small squeal. "Holy shit!"

Brittany set Santana down on the counter and pulled away with a grin. "Santana Lopez, you have been swept off of your feet."

Santana actually threw her head back and laughed loudly. This was a much better start to her morning. Not to mention, she still has that secret surprise hiding behind her back.

Brittany became distracted in watching her girlfriend laugh so happily. It made her feel happy herself to see it. She decided Santana had earned her surprise. "Close your eyes." Santana did as she was told and heard Brittany laughing at her.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you know that you scrunch your face up when you close your eyes?"

That question made Santana open her eyes again with a look of disbelief on her face. "Are you really making fun of me right now?"

"Shush. Close them again. It was cute."

Santana let out a long sigh like this was a huge inconvenience but closed her eyes once again. She heard more movement behind her. Brittany was lining up the things in the order she wanted to show them.

"Open up." Santana quickly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a single rose held right in front of her face. Upon close inspection, there was a real four leaf clover tucked into the flower's center. The smile that was on her face grew wider. Brittany handed it to her and she cradled it in her hands.

"This is for luck but I thought the clover was too little and you deserved a little more." Santana was about to speak up but Brittany put a finger against her lips. "Shhh. I'm not finished."

She reached behind Santana again and pulled out a glass of champagne. The brunette was impressed by the obviously expensive choice. "Britt, you didn't have to-"

"Santana!" The full use of her name quieted her protests. "I said I wasn't done. Please, just shut up and enjoy this. You deserve it. The champagne is for the celebration tonight. I am super confident that you will get cleared of everything except being my sexy girlfriend."

The last sentence once again made a smile appear on her face. She wanted to turn and peek at whatever Brittany was going to grab next but she didn't, knowing that would only get her in trouble.

The next thing that appeared was a small box. It looked to be about the size of a book and it was wrapped with a bow on it. No words were said as Brittany handed it over and looked expectantly at Santana. "Open it!"

Santana grinned and set the rose down carefully beside her. She turned her attention back to the box and slowly pulled open the bow, not wanting to ruin the beautiful wrapping. Impatience got the best of her, however, and the wrapping paper was ripped off unceremoniously. She quickly lifted the top of the box and flung it somewhere to the other side of the kitchen. What she saw inside made her jaw drop.

Inside the box was a corset. It was black and white and it sent heat straight to Santana's core. "What?" That was all that came out of Santana's mouth. Her thoughts were too far in the gutter to continue with her question.

Brittany giggled and rubbed her hands up and down Santana's thighs, not helping to stop her girlfriend's thoughts. "This is for after the champagne…that is, if you're up for it." Brittany winked and Santana just grinned, already knowing that she'd be ready for anything. She pulled the blonde's face close to hers and kissed her again.

"Thank you so much for all of this. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Aww, you're such a sap! You deserve it all, San. Although, having it all would be hard to do because I'm not sure where you would put it. Then again, if you owned everything it wouldn't matter where you would put it because it would be your stuff on your own property. I think that would make other people sad because then they wouldn't have anyth-"

Santana quieted her girlfriend with another kiss. While she found the rant kind of adorable, she knew it could go on forever if it wasn't stopped. Brittany wasn't complaining. Instead, she ran her tongue over Santana's bottom lip and was granted access to her girlfriend's mouth. Their tongues tangled and neither could help the moans that tore from their throats. Brittany's hands moved from strong thighs to Santana's lower back and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter. Santana couldn't help the surprised gasp when she felt her center push against Brittany's abs. Her fingers gripped Brittany's shoulders and her legs tangled behind her girlfriend, holding her as close as possible. Brittany had just moved her hands to grip Santana's ass and picked her up to move somewhere else when her cell phone started to beep.

"Shit." Santana said breathlessly as she pulled away.

Brittany huffed out in annoyance and brought Santana back to the counter to put her back down. She pulled out her phone and realized she was running late. If she wanted to be on time for work she had to leave now. She pouted at Santana even if the girl wasn't the source of her distress.

"I'm sorry. I want to stay. Maybe I should just call in sick."

"Go Britt. I have that meeting later anyways and I need a few hours to freak out about it and then get ready before actually going. It'll take me even longer now that I'll be having a bunch of thoughts about tonight."

"Keep it in your pants. At least until I take them off."

Santana groaned before reaching her hands outwards, waiting for Brittany to step back in between her legs, which she did happily. "Stop making me want to kidnap you and hide away."

"I wouldn't mind. Except I think we'd miss a few people."

Santana agreed and quickly kissed Brittany. "Now get going before I change my mind." Santana turned her around and reached down to spank Brittany before letting her walk away. If she could see the blonde's face, she would see a huge grin that matched her own.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Santana was pacing her room. It started off as setting out a few outfits on the bed and moving between them to see which looked the best. Eventually she had stopped worrying about what the outfit would be and just focused on the possible outcomes of today's meeting. When she was with Brittany and Ariana, nothing else had really mattered but being alone brought all of those thoughts right back.

Almost as if her best friend was psychic, Quinn was walking into her bedroom.

"Hey, you're going to rub down a path in your carpet."

Santana jumped and quickly turned in place to see who the voice belonged to, although she had already recognized it. Due to her fast spinning, she fell to the ground. "Damnit Q! Do you have to sneak in and scare the shit out of me? I'm already freaking out enough."

Quinn had put her hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter. After a minute of enjoying her friend's fall, she moved to reach out her hand in an offer of assistance.

"Nice try, Q. I know that saying." Santana replied with, eyeing her best friend. When Quinn just gave her a confused look, she clarified. "You know, 'Friends help you up when you fall but best friends laugh and push you back down as you try to get up.'"

Quinn laughed and decided that her friend knew her too well. She may have a child and be too mature for silly jokes, but she had to admit pushing Santana back down would've been funny as hell. "I would never!" Quinn pretended to be offended that her friend had even suggested that.

"Seriously, Q. I'm about to explode from anxiety. Help me out here!" Santana picked herself up and brushed herself off.

Quinn nodded and pulled out her phone. She quickly dialed a number then held it up to her ear to listen to it ring.

"Oh great. I'm about to die here and you decide now would be a good time for chit chat with your coworkers?"

Quinn just rolled her eyes and when the person on the other line finally answered, she put the phone on speaker and tossed it on the bed before falling onto it herself. "Alright. What's the matter, Q and 'Cedes will make it all better." Quinn said in a baby voice.

"And now you mock me. Why are we best friends?" Santana asked as she started to pace once again.

"Satan, you need to calm down."

"Easy for you to say Weezy! Besides, shouldn't you be watching some kids?"

"I put a movie in again. No sweat. My best friend is way more important anyways."

"Thanks I guess. Now make all of my problems go away!" Santana begged.

"We can't do that. We can listen to you while you freak out and make you look less crazy. I mean, and then at least you are talking to someone instead of yourself." Quinn explained.

Santana knew that was true. They couldn't really do anything about it.

"At least help me pick out an outfit."

"Q, you take that job on. I would because we all know I have the best fashion sense but I can't see what the options are. I'm counting on you. Santana, now let's have a talk." Quinn followed Mercedes' instructions and got off of the bed to look at the options Santana had picked out. She pushed the worried girl onto the bed near the phone and made sure she stayed before straying to the closet to see what else her friend had to wear.

"You there?" Mercedes questioned. She had heard movement but she couldn't tell what was happening.

"Yes." Santana replied.

"Alright. Now listen to me. You are getting cleared of everything. If you aren't, it's because of serious bribes from Little Miss Britney's father. Now in the case that it happens that way, we have a counter case of our own."

Santana let out a shaky breath. Mercedes was right. It would be crazy for them to say she was guilty after Tia admitted it was all a lie, right? "I don't know. I'm just going to end up being guilty and everybody will think I'm some pervert and then I won't be able to look anybody in the eye. I will need supervision to hang out with Ari and Brittany will hate me."

"Satan! That isn't how this is going. Plus, Quinn knows you didn't do it and she'll let you see Ariana, supervised or not. Brittany will not hate you and I think she has proven that enough."

This time, Santana sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm just being dramatic." Inside, she was still freaking out but her friends were indeed helping to calm her.

Quinn listened to the back and forth between her two friends. She knew it wasn't something that they would talk about after it was over. When the time comes, they are all there for each other but when it's just a normal day, they prefer to not be the emotional girls that are always crying to each other. She smiled at all the times they had been those girls. She wouldn't change it for anything and she only hoped that her daughter would find friends that would stick by her side like Santana and Mercedes had for her.

She came back out of the closet holding a different shirt and pencil skirt combo than Santana had put out. She threw it over towards the girl on the bed who had considerably calmed down. "Are you better now?"

Santana nodded and said a quiet thank you. Neither of her friends asked her to repeat it, knowing it was amazing enough to get it once.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Santana was sitting down in a chair, yet she couldn't help but keep fidgeting. She was surrounded by board members who were quietly talking to each other, occasionally laughing or looking through papers. The meeting was going to start at any second and they were all waiting on Mr. Jordan. She resented each of the members a little bit for looking so care free when her fate was about to be decided. She wondered if this is what all of the people who went on trial felt like.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door to the small conference room they were in opened and closed. Mr. Jordan stepped in to the room and gave a small nod in greeting. He sat down near the superintendent and everybody else quieted down. The president of the board stood up and cleared his throat. He already had everybody's attention so Santana found that slightly unnecessary.

"Thank you all for coming today. We are here to discuss the charges against Ms. Santana Lopez, the current cheerleading coach at our school. The evidence presented to us included a drawer full of, um, undergarments that supposedly belonged to a few of the teenage girls who attend this school and a statement from a student that explains how Ms. Lopez seduced her and forced her into unwanted sexual activity."

Santana wanted to shout out in protest but she knew it would help so instead she gritted her teeth and clasped her hands together.

"There was also one other statement from a student who described similar events regarded Ms. Lopez. However, that statement went on to be voided as the student admitted to being dishonest. These students will remain nameless as they are still minors. Ms. Lopez does have a few statements in her favor. They were given by two of her former head cheerleaders, which were earlier said to have been taken advantage of by Ms. Lopez, a mother of one of those cheerleaders, and one by Ms. Jones, a teacher here."

"May I add something?" Santana looked over to see who had spoken up. It was a woman that she didn't recognize.

"Go ahead."

"I want to say that I am good friends with the kindergarten teacher at the local elementary school. She has a young girl in her class who is apparently Santana's niece of sorts." Santana hated when people didn't count Ariana as her real niece because they were not technically blood related. "She has spoken highly of Ms. Lopez's actions around her kids when she picks up her niece." Suddenly, Santana forgave the woman for her earlier comment about Ariana being her "niece of sorts." It kind of scared her that it was coming from that creepy teacher Mrs. Anderson, though.

After the woman had shared this information, a few of the members started to whisper to each other and others wrote things down. Santana was asked to leave the room so they could consider this new information. It wasn't long before she was led back in.

After more sharing of the details of the case, the board was finally ready to decide on the verdict. Santana held her breath without meaning to. Everything was kind of hazy before suddenly everything became very clear.

"Ms. Lopez, we have decided that you are not guilty."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A*N – Finally an update! I'm sorry it took so long but I have been banished to my brother's house for a while. He is the kind of person that always needs to be doing something so I've barely had free time and when I have any, I snuck in a few paragraphs for this story! Also, there is no internet so I am uploading this from my phone once again and I hope it turns out alright. Had to throw in a lot of fluff at the start because let's face it, I'm a sucker for romance and I have no one to use these ideas on anyways.

I had a few people ask about Mrs. Anderson after the last chapter so I wanted to talk about that really quick. I don't really know what road to go down with that as I just wanted it to be a fun side note. If enough people want it, I could try to do something more with her.

Thanks for being patient with me and these updates! I appreciate each of you who take the time to read/review/favorite/alert/recommend. I couldn't ask for more!


	19. Chapter 19

Santana let out a breath. She felt it was the first real one she had taken since the morning that had started it all. _Not guilty. You are not guilty. _The thought kept on running through her mind and it couldn't be stopped. She had to focus so she could catch what people were saying.

"Ms. Lopez, we hope to see you back on Monday. Take a few days to rest after all of this and I am truly sorry it ever happened."

Sensing that she was dismissed, Santana stood up and said a quick thank you before hurrying over to the door and exiting. She almost ran into somebody who was sitting right outside.

"Mercedes?"

"Girl! Your innocence is official now!"

Mercedes hugged Santana, who was still pretty shocked. She hugged back as the verdict slowly sunk in.

"I'm not guilty." Somehow saying it out loud validated it. When she pulled back from the hug, it was with a smile on her face. Her relief was evident. "Are you coming out to celebrate tonight?"

"Sorry, Satan. I've got plans with Puckerman. That boy is desperate to get back into my good graces. By that I mean my pants."

Mercedes held her hand up for a high five which was reluctantly reciprocated. "Thanks again, though. I think you should go back to your class now because you are leaving them alone way too much."

"You're probably right. Although, constantly leaving them alone has given me a reputation as a cool teacher. I'll leave though so you can call your girl."

Santana nodded, happily noting that Mercedes could still read her mind after all of these years. She gave her friend another quick hug before they parted ways. Santana waited until she was out of the school building until pulling out her phone. She dialed her girlfriend's number, still smiling and hardly believing the worst was over.

"Hey San! What time do you want to crack open the champagne?"

Brittany's question caught Santana off guard. "How did you know?"

"Well, when people call my phone, it shows their name and if I have a picture of them, it shows that too! It's a pretty picture by the way and it makes me miss you but at the same time smile because you are calling me!"

Santana took a second during that explanation to realize Brittany thought her question was directed at the first part of her greeting. "No, babe. I meant how did you know we are taking the champagne option and not the one where we lament the loss of my non-pedophile reputation?"

"I told you already that they would be super stupid to say you're guilty. Duh!"

Santana smiled to herself. "So, after that champagne?"

"Don't worry, you'll get that too."

_Boo-yah! Wait. You totally did not just say boo-yah. It's ok, it was in your mind and nobody heard you. _Santana quickly looked around suspiciously to see if there was anybody looking at her. When nobody was found, she focused on her conversation once again. "Perfect! I can't wait."

Brittany shivered a little on the other side of the line. Though they couldn't see each other at the moment, she could clearly hear the want and excitement in Santana's slightly lowered voice. It made everything she had planned that much sweeter. "Are you picking me up today?"

"Of course! I wants to get my celebrating on ASAP!"

Brittany smiled, already looking forward to seeing Santana. It never seemed to get old and she hoped it never would. She looked up to see Coach Beiste having some trouble teaching a few alternative dance moves to a kid who was recently put on crutches. "San, I can't wait for then, but I have to go now."

"That's fine, babe. I'll see you after school. I love you!"

"Love you too! Bye!"

Santana hung up the phone and got into her car. As she pulled away, she turned on the radio and sang along. It was weird how care free she felt in this moment but she wasn't about to question it. She almost couldn't believe her ears when she heard "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas playing in her car as a throwback request. Even though she was alone, she laughed out loud, remembering her crush on Fergie and how she still wouldn't admit back then that she liked girls.

Santana thought about how many times she watched some of those music videos and those thoughts soon morphed into Brittany dancing in music videos. One thought led to another and soon it was Brittany dancing on her in that corset that was sitting at her house, just waiting for a hot blonde body to fill it. _Well, congrats Lopez. You're back to your old sex-crazed self. No worries about being banished from your job or getting disgusted stares for something other than being a lady loving, um, lady. Except you are one better now, you've got one lady that's yours and you haven't fucked it up. Well done._ Santana grinned as she started singing along to the old song, mentally patting herself on the back.

Finally arriving at her place, Santana went inside and flopped back onto her bed. She couldn't count the number of times she has sighed in relief since leaving the school. It was almost too good to be true. She quickly called Quinn to share the good news.

"Hello?"

"Hey Quinn!"

"You're innocent?"

Santana's smile faltered for a second. _How in the hell does everybody know before I tell them?_ "Did Mercedes tell you?"

"Nope."

"Well then how do you know?"

"Please. There's a reason why your nickname is Satan. When I answer the phone and you sound happier than Sue Sylvester after reducing multiple teenage girls to tears I know something good happened."

"How do you know it wasn't something else that made me happy?" Santana was kind of annoyed that her thunder was being stolen for the third time in a row.

"Well, if you had sex, you'd be cocky. You don't exactly have much else that you would get this happy about unless it's a girl and you are with Brittany, who has been working all day. By the way, Ariana talks about you two and her future cat non-stop. Anyways, the only other big thing you had coming up was the meeting. If you were guilty, I would bet you'd be at Puck's getting wasted and crying hysterically like the sad drunk you are."

Santana didn't have much of a reply to that. It actually kind of scared her how true Quinn's words were. "Fine. You win that one I guess. Celebration tonight?"

"I'm sorry, I can't. I already have something planned with Sam and Ariana. Rain check?"

Santana was disappointed. She wanted to share this with her friends and girlfriend. "Yeah, I guess that's alright. Have fun, Q."

"Bye Santana." Quinn hung up the phone and shook her head. She had heard the disappointment in her best friend's voice when she told her she couldn't hang out tonight. It was the only way she'd be able to not ruin the surprise.

When Santana hung up she tossed her phone towards the side of the bed. It bounced off and she couldn't help but feel that was appropriate in response to how she felt about Quinn blowing her off.

Instead of lingering on the thought that Mercedes, Puck, Quinn, Ariana, and even Sam were unavailable tonight, she let the one thing in the back of her mind take over. _Do I want to stay at the school? _Santana could help that thought. It had been an assumption for her that she would be guilty and have to find another job but now there was the opportunity to keep on doing what she knew how to do. It was so ingrained into her head that she would need another job she had warmed up to some of the ideas that came and went.

One of her favorite suggestions was actually working as a partner with Puck. Brittany had confessed that he had wanted somebody to be his equal so he would be able to take off more time and possibly do a small tour, just him and his guitar. However, he had never found anybody that he could trust and that he actually liked enough to accomplish that. Brittany was certain that he would give that kind of job to Santana, especially with the blonde's encouragement.

Another favorite was starting a kind of dance company with Brittany. It had started off as kind of a joke so they could spend more time together but Santana had actually considered it. Running her own business was always something she would've liked to do but never really had the courage, time, and money to do it.

At one point, she even briefly entertained the thought of moving somewhere else and starting fresh. That was quickly pushed out of her mind now because she knew that she wouldn't be able to stand leaving Ariana and the rest of her friends. Also, she wasn't sure if Brittany would come with. It was probably too soon for a serious "run away and never look back" kind of adventure.

Looking at the time, she realized she was lost in her thoughts for longer than she had planned to be. It was already time for her to change and get ready so she could pick up Brittany on time.

* * *

><p>Pulling up to the school, she waited in her usual spot. It didn't take long for the kids to come bursting out of the doors, signaling the end of the school day. Santana laughed as she easily picked out her girlfriend in the middle of all the kids, wearing the same excited face they all did. Brittany was headed straight for her when her path was derailed by a young boy eagerly pulling her off course by the hand.<p>

She watched Brittany's face turn into one of surprise at suddenly being pulled away from her destination. Her girlfriend quickly replaced it with a smile when she realized the little boy dragging her towards a man and a woman who the boy resembled. He pointed at Brittany while beaming and talking to his parents. Santana wondered what he was saying when suddenly the boy started to do a small dance and the three adults surrounding him smiled and laughed. Both parents shook Brittany's hand and let her go back on her path to Santana, who had felt strangely proud of the blonde.

Leaning against the hood of her car, Santana eyed Brittany up as she walked closer. The way Brittany swung her hips mesmerized the brunette, who was oblivious to the fact of her being the cause for the extra sexy sauntering. She was so focused in, she couldn't help the yelp of surprise when another familiar face came into her line of vision.

"Santana!"

"Hello Mrs. Anderson. It's…uh…nice to see you again." When she noticed the kindergarten teacher move in to hug her, she quickly ducked and instead stuck out her hand. The teacher got the hint and shook it with a small frown before covering it up with a creepy smile.

"Congratulations on the verdict." Mrs. Anderson said with a smile. She didn't notice Brittany slowly walking up behind her.

"Um. Thanks. How did you know?"

"I have a friend on the board." Santana suddenly remembered the woman who had spoken up on behalf of the woman who stood before her.

"Oh, right." Santana noted the awkward silence that followed. It made her uncomfortable with how close Mrs. Anderson was getting. She tried to back away but found she was trapped because of her car.

"Excuse me!" Mrs. Anderson was pushed a little to the side, much to her displeasure.

Santana smiled when she was trapped once again, this time by Brittany. It only made her happier but slightly confused when she realized Brittany was now pinning her to her car and sliding her hands into the brunette's back pockets. She squeezed Santana's ass and pulled her a little closer before pulling her in for a deep kiss. Brittany only broke it when she heard Mrs. Anderson clear her throat.

"Oh sorry. I just couldn't wait to get my hands on _my _girlfriend." Brittany gave a fake smile to the teacher.

It was when Brittany emphasized the "my" part of "my girlfriend" that it clicked for Santana. _Holy shit. She's jealous. That's fucking hot. _Santana decided to just shut up and watch this happen as she wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist and pulled her in. Her eyes followed the conversation the other two had, bouncing from one woman to the other.

"That's fine. I was just telling her congratulations on her verdict. I was going to say that I hoped my small piece helped out." The teacher gave an overly sweet smile to Brittany. The other two could obviously see the underlying dislike in the teacher's eyes.

"Oh I'm sure it did. Thank you for that. It gives us such a great reason to _celebrate_ tonight." Brittany said, using a suggestive tone. She then turned to once again kiss Santana a little more enthusiastically than was publicly appropriate.

That seemed to be the last straw for the obviously jealous teacher who huffed and stomped away. Brittany pulled back to check if the teacher had left yet. "Finally!"

Santana was still a little out of breath from the sudden PDA and the hotness that was a jealous Brittany. "What was _that?_"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Brittany took her hands out of Santana's back pockets and stepped away from her girlfriend. "I don't know what came over me. I just hated seeing her so close to you and I didn't want you to do anything with her an-"

Brittany was cut off as Santana reached out and yanked the girl back into her. She found it cute that Brittany thought she was mad at her for that. It was actually quite the opposite so she knew she had to reassure the blonde. "I'm so not mad at you. That was so," She pecked Brittany's lips. "fucking" She moved her hands down for her own squeeze of Brittany's ass. "hot."

Brittany smirked. "In that case, I'm sorry I took so long. I wanted to wait for most of the other kids and parents to leave before I publicly felt you up and made out with you."

"Let's get out celebration on." Santana chastely kissed Brittany one more time before pulling away and going to the passenger side to open the door for her. Brittany did a silly curtsy in response before climbing in and fastening her seatbelt. Santana climbed in and put on her seatbelt before taking off back to her place.

"It looks like it's just going to be you and me tonight. Everybody else is busy."

Brittany felt a little bad when she heard the disappointment in her girlfriend's voice so she reached over and took the brunette's hand. "Don't worry. I have plans." She leaned over to whisper in Santana's ear. "I'll make it all better."

Santana shivered and then followed it up with a grin. She knew Brittany wasn't joking.

* * *

><p>Brittany took Santana to the park to start things off. It was kind of a tradition for them to go. Santana was kind of hoping to see Ariana running around with Quinn and Sam watching from the side but she had no such luck.<p>

After the park, they went back to change. Santana was directed to dress in something semi-formal. Brittany had a small dress already packed with her. Tina had dropped it off at the school for her earlier. Brittany wore a short red dress that hugged her just right. It wasn't too tight because she knew that she'd be in the tight corset later on and she wanted to be able to breathe for now. She had to laugh when Santana showed off her gorgeous blue cocktail dress.

"What?"

"Are we really 'that couple?'"

Santana just gave her a confused and slightly sad look, taking Brittany's laughter for a dislike of her outfit. "Um…what?"

"We are wearing each other's favorite colors!"

"Oh!" Santana felt kind of stupid now. "I thought…nothing." She shook her head at herself.

"You thought what?" Brittany pressed before she gasped. "Oh! You thought yellow was my favorite color!"

Santana couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head again. "No. I thought you didn't like my dress."

"San, you could wear a garbage bag and I would think it's hot." Brittany confessed, giving her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. "Now let's go!"

"Are you telling me where we are going?" Santana asked as she reached for her keys.

Brittany lightly slapped her hand away. "Nope! I already have a cab ordered for us. That way I can surprise you and you don't have to drive!" Santana arched her eyebrow in question but was brushed off by Brittany opening the door and guiding her out with a hand on her lower back. The blonde turned and locked the door and continued to guide Santana' out to the car waiting at the curb.

When they pulled up to Santana's favorite restaurant, she turned to look at Brittany with loving eyes. She saw the same reflected in the beautiful blues. Brittany quickly got out and opened the door for Santana, escorting her all the way to their table. It was in a quiet private booth. They ate and laughed just like usual. Before they were about to leave, Brittany stood up and went to the bathroom. Santana tried to ask the waiter for a check, only to find out it was already covered. She was surprised and flattered that Brittany had gone through all of this trouble for her.

When Brittany came back, they went back out to the cab. Santana started to recognize the surroundings when she took a look out the window. "Puck's?"

"Just for a little while."

Santana noticed it seemed a little quiet for a usual night at Puck's bar. It was obvious there was still some kind of party going on, though. While caught up in her thoughts, Brittany had snuck out to come around and open her door again. Santana was once again escorted inside, a reassuring hand on her back the whole way.

When she entered, the noise heard from the outside quickly died down. A grin-wearing Puck quickly walked up and handed the two women a glass of champagne each. "Three cheers for Santana Lopez!" Puck yelled to the rest of the bar, holding his mug of beer high up in the air. The rest of the bar yelled out in agreement and held up their own glasses and bottles of various beverages. Brittany's arm slid around Santana's waist and looked right into her eyes as she held up her own glass and brought it to her lips. Santana couldn't stop the huge smile from appearing as she took a drink of her own and looked around the bar.

She saw Mercedes, Tina, and even that Mike guy at the bar. Sam and Quinn were sitting a table with Kurt and Finn. Santana even recognized Rachel Berry there with her co-star, although Santana would never tell the small diva that she knew that. Finally her eyes landed on Brittany once again. "Thank you so much. I love you."

Brittany just winked. "Anything for my girl. Also, I love you too."

The majority of the night was spent with Brittany and Santana by each other's side, thanking everybody who came. There were people Santana didn't even know but she would thank them anyways, partly because she was a little buzzed from the alcohol and partly because she was just so damn happy.

Santana was even pleasantly surprised to find out the dancers were especially for her tonight. Almost as if they were her own personal cheerleaders, they painted letters on their exposed stomachs that spelled her name. During one particularly sexy dance, Brittany noticed Santana's eyes drinking in the vision of each girl. Her jealousy flared up again and right in the middle of the bar she started dancing. Santana quickly averted her eyes from the other woman and focused in on her girlfriend who was practically giving her a lap dance in her chair, not that she was complaining. Her hands were even slapped away when she tried to put them on the strong dancer's body in front of her. That only made her want it all the more. Santana failed to notice the look on half of the male faces in the bar when this happened. If she had, she might've gotten into a fight or two.

At the end of that dance, Brittany had leaned over to whisper in Santana's ear. The brunette couldn't help but glance quickly down to the exposed cleavage near her face. "How about we go back now and continue our own private celebration?"

Santana nodded quickly and was pulled up by Brittany. She yelled out a quick goodbye to everybody and ignored Puck's complaints of it being too early to leave. The two giggling girls raced back to the cab and urged the driver to speed back. The whole ride Santana tried to touch Brittany but the blonde would only allow kisses, no touching. Santana groaned each time her hands were pushed away because it only made the anticipation build.

Once at Santana's, Brittany excused herself to the bathroom and Santana practically ran back to her bedroom. She sat on the bed and stripped down into her bra and panties before laying back and waiting. Her mind flickered back to jealous Brittany at the school and the bar and the dance Brittany had done and the heat between her legs that started then only grew.

It seemed to be taking way too long for Brittany to come back out and Santana actually contemplated on just starting on her own to quell the ache she felt.

It was only then that Brittany stepped into Santana's bedroom and the brunette felt her mouth drop. Her eyes noted the fuck-me heels and slowly traveled upwards. She noticed that the blonde had decided to not wear stockings and had instead gone with a _very _short skirted bottom. Her arms longed to reach out and wrap around the cinched in waist that showed off how curvy the dance really was. Finally, she realized the black and white corset was actually only half-cupped. It gave Brittany's already amazing breasts a nice boost and left her mouth-watering nipples exposed and Santana desperately wanted to taste them.

Her eyes finally flicked up to her girlfriend's face. Brittany wore a happily confident smirk and a mischievous look in her eyes. "I see you couldn't wait to strip. You're probably going to catch a fly if you don't close your mouth. I'm not kissing you if you have fly-mouth."

Santana closed her mouth, which she hadn't realized was open, and gulped. Her tongue couldn't help itself and quickly ran out along her lips. Brittany didn't fail to notice that. She wasted no more time in walking up to the bed. Santana tried to sit up but was quickly pushed back down, which frustrated her and turned her on at the same time. "Just sit back, baby." Brittany cooed as she brought herself up to kneel on the bed and crawl towards Santana. She brought her legs on either side of the brunette and slowly inched her way up, kissing Santana's exposed skin the whole way.

When Brittany finally reached Santana's neck she took her time to nibble and suck, leaving a few marks that made Santana groan in pleasure. She decided she couldn't wait to taste her girlfriend's lips and pulled the blonde up for a passionate kiss. When their tongues came out to tangle together, Brittany couldn't help but grind down onto Santana's stomach. The brunette gasped and pulled away. She quickly looked down at her stomach and back up to Brittany who was smiling innocently. Santana took shaky hands to Brittany's thighs and slowly moved them up. Higher and higher they went and the tanned hands slowly moved inwards and she couldn't help the moan of approval that escaped her lips when her suspicions were confirmed. _No. Fucking. Underwear._

Brittany giggled at Santana's expression. She moved her hips and tried to find some friction with the fingers that had discovered her uncovered wetness. She couldn't help the breathy "Oh yes!" that came out when Santana snapped back into action and moved her fingers along Brittany's slit.

"Shit, babe. You're already so wet. Is this how you get when you tease me?" Brittany only whimpered in response, biting her lip in concentration on Santana's words and motions. "The jealous moment at the school, that dance you did at the bar, not letting me touch you when I wanted to so bad? That all got you hot, didn't it?"

Brittany could help but nod furiously and let out another breathy yes. Santana smirked as she realized Brittany was trying to angle her hips so Santana's fingers would slip inside her. That was when she pulled her hand away and instead moved both of them to her girlfriend's ass underneath the short shirt. She gave a quick slap and grinned at Brittany's shocked and pleading expression. "It's not fun being teased, is it?"

Brittany groaned out at the turn of events. Instead of complaining though, she got a devilish idea. Santana moaned out again when Brittany started to grind on her stomach again. The blonde moved quickly back and forth, leaving a wet trail along her girlfriend's toned abs. Santana didn't even care at that point and she spanked Brittany again, urging her to go faster. She couldn't decide which sight was better, Brittany's bouncing boosted breasts or her half-lidded eyes and opened mouth that was letting out all kinds of noises that Santana never wanted to end.

She moved her hands up to Brittany's back and pulled the blonde down. Brittany didn't even falter in her rhythm and just kept at it. Santana moved her mouth down to take one of those delicious looking nipples into her mouth. She moaned around the hard bud and heard Brittany moan out loudly in response. She lightly grasped at the other one, not wanting to leave either unattended. Santana switched sides after some time and kept at it before pulling Brittany in for a kiss. The blonde was slowing down now and that confused Santana.

"What's the matter?"

Brittany sat up and took a second to catch her breath. "It's your night. I'm sorry I got carried away for a second."

"Britt. If it's my night, I really want you to cum on me. Your so fucking hot right now I can't even think about anything else if I even wanted to, not that I do. You're mine and I'm yours. Show me that." Santana flexed her stomach muscles as best as she could to hopefully urge Brittany on. The show she was getting was currently sexier than anything Santana could have imagined. She smiled in triumph when Brittany bucked her hips more.

"I was s-supposed to dance." Brittany tried to protest again. "W-work you up."

"You teased me enough. I was soaking my panties before we even got here so I don't mind. Plus, you can always dance for me another time. Anytime, anywhere. Please, just keep going."

Brittany nodded her head to show that she understood. She started to paw at Santana's bra. "Off."

Santana got the hint as Brittany slowly started to move again. She reached behind her as best she could. She had to lean up, bringing her once again face to face with Brittany's chest. She couldn't help but flick her tongue out and taste the skin. She had gotten off her bra and was surprised when Brittany scooted down into her lap more and off of her stomach. This allowed her to sit up easier, making her thankful when Brittany pulled her head towards her again. Santana kissed, sucked, and licked at all the exposed cleavage right by her face. Every now and then she would just take and break and keep her face pressed to Brittany's chest as the blonde's moans got louder and she grinding down faster.

When Brittany stiffened in her arms, she knew her girlfriend had reached her peak. Her hips started to jerk and Santana felt Brittany's wetness soak the outside of her panties. She moaned at the thought that, had she just been smart and stripped naked, that would have been all over her, possibly combining with her own.

Brittany finally stilled and pulled Santana in for a kiss. When her breathing was once again normal and she gained use of her muscles back, Brittany pushed the brunette to lie back on the bed once again. Santana just complied, too turned on to fight anything.

Brittany moved down, quickly kissing down Santana's neck, heading straight for her favorite chest. Tanned fingers tangled in golden hair as Brittany sucked on Santana's hard nipple. She quickly switched sides, leaving her hands to rub small circles over Santana's slowly squirming hips. She admired the soft skin and scratched lightly up and down her girlfriend's sides. Again, she started her move south. She saw the traces of herself glistening on the defined abs and looked up to grin at Santana. The brunette watched with almost-black with lust eyes as her girlfriend brought her tongue and licked herself off of her. She threw her head back and moaned out. Brittany could clearly hear her own name and a string of expletives as she swirled her tongue around the tensing muscles of Santana's stomach.

As she continued to slowly lick at Santana's abs, she pulled down the girl's panties. Her hands slowly made their way up and down strong legs, lightly scratching and driving Santana crazier. One hand continued up to grope at Santana's full breasts while one hand moved between her thighs. Santana gasped as she finally felt some pleasurable friction where she needed it most. She enjoyed the feeling of the blonde's fingers exploring her and there wasn't a time when noises weren't sounding out of her mouth.

When Brittany dipped her tongue into her belly button, intent on moving to her destination, she was surprised to find Santana yelling out her name and "FUCK!" Her girlfriend shuddered and Brittany kept moving her hands as she watched the orgasm take over Santana. Her eyes locked onto Santana's dark ones and both of their mouths were open in pure pleasure.

When Santana finally came down and Brittany came up to lie directly on top of her, she tried to explain. "That hasn't happened to me before. I tried to hold back. You just looked so hot and I was so ready for you and-and"

Brittany chuckled and kissed her girlfriend quickly. She pulled back and leaned over to whisper in Santana's ear. "It's okay. It was actually really sexy. It's not like we can't do it again, I took off of work tomorrow." Brittany brought herself back up to kiss Santana again before winking.

"Hell yes." Santana replied.

* * *

><p>A*N – Annnnnnnnnn update! My apologies for the delay. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter none-the-less. It was fun to write, especially the part where I decided it would be good to, um, research corsets.<p>

I expect about two or three more chapters to this story before it is done-zo, just so you all know. I hope to get the next chapters up sooner now that I'm back at home and with internet! Watching the L Word (any thoughts on this show? I just started because of a recommendation so feel free to throw in some input on this) and playing Call of Duty (being forced to play online with my brother more like it) are pretty much the only things on my agenda for the next few days so writing should fit in there somewhere!

As always, thank you for being amazing people and sticking with this story. Every time I write, it's for you guys. When you review, I really try and take you suggestions and put them into good use so thank you all for letting me know how I do! I love seeing familiar names every chapter in the review sections and I always smile everytime I see a review period. Stay awesome!


	20. Chapter 20

It was Saturday. Santana still hadn't really figured out if she wanted to go back to being the cheerleading coach on Monday. Instead of facing that decision, she had decided to catch up on some of her favorite shows while Brittany had gone home to change clothes and switch out some of the ones she had around Santana's for new ones.

Santana looked up from her tv, which was currently tuned in to a Jersey Shore marathon, when Brittany came in her front door with an audible groan of annoyance. Reluctantly, she muted the sound and patted the spot on the couch beside her and her girlfriend fell into her open arms.

"What's wrong, babe?"

"Rachel."

"I thought you and Rachel were good friends? What happened? Do I need to kick her ass?"

Brittany turned in Santana's arms so she could flop over onto the girl's lap. Santana lightly scratched the blonde's back, massaging it every now and then. It was Brittany's favorite form of comfort ever since her mother would scratch her back when she had nightmares. "She's kicking me out."

Santana's hands paused in their motions but quickly continued when Brittany wiggled to try and get her to keep going. "Why?"

The brunette could hear the pout in Brittany's voice when she spoke. "Her co-star is apparently the new love of her life. They plan to take a break together now that the movie and publicity is mostly done and they want to live at my, well, Rachel's place. Tina is going to move in with Mercedes for a while but I am stuck looking for my own apartment now."

"Well, Puck and Finn are going to be disappointed." Santana had learned about each man's secret crush on the tiny star from Brittany during one of their random talks.

"Saaaannn!" Brittany drew out her girlfriend's nickname. "You are so missing my point! I don't want to be homeless! She's giving me a few weeks still but I just don't know what to do."

Santana had an offer on the tip of her tongue but she didn't say it. She couldn't. _It's too soon. You've known each other for less than a month._ "Well, maybe I could help you out. We can go looking today. Get up and we'll start right now."

Brittany turned her head to look at Santana. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you." Santana found herself saying that before she could think about it. _Plus, that will help me avoid thinking about this whole career thing._

Brittany fully turned around again and sat up so now she was sitting in Santana's lap. "You really are just the sweetest girlfriend ever."

"You're the first and only person to ever say that." Santana chuckled.

"Good. I hope it stays that way." Brittany replied before putting her hands on Santana's cheeks and pulling her in for a quick kiss before bouncing up to her feet again. "Let's go!"

"Vamos!"

Brittany just nodded because she didn't really know what that meant.

* * *

><p>It was about three in the afternoon when Brittany and Santana were looking through a tiny, but fairly nice, apartment. It was their third one of the day and the two had already developed a kind of routine. Santana would ask the important questions while Brittany would literally dance around the rooms. After the questions would answer the two would go into a room for some privacy and discuss whether or not it was a good option.<p>

"Excuse us, please."

The landlord smiled and nodded as Santana grabbed Brittany's hand. The blonde jumped, not expecting to be jostled out of her mind. She was sliding around the kitchen floor's small space in her socks, pretending she was a professional ice skater.

Once they were in the only bedroom in the apartment, Santana spoke up. "So what do you think, Britt?"

"I don't like it."

"Why not?"

"I can't dance. There is barely any room to stretch."

"Maybe we should look at some studio apartments." Santana suggested, figuring the open space would make it much easier for Brittany to move around in.

"But I don't make music." Brittany shook her head, smiling at the brunette's silly suggestion. "I want something like your place. It's easy to dance there, even in the bathroom."

Santana's first thought was of the day she had accidentally walking in on Brittany getting out of the shower. Ok, so maybe it wasn't so accidental. Either way, that was when the blonde had shown her just how easy it was to dance around. Her next thought was of how her place would look covered in little Brittany things. A few brightly colored cups in the cupboards and some weird animal magnets on the fridge. Things that would've made Santana cringe a few years, even weeks, ago now made her feel warm inside.

"I didn't mean it that way. It's a big open apartment. You'd have plenty of room then."

Brittany agreed to go look at a few studio apartments while managing to hide her disappointment. _Why can't I just live with her? She probably doesn't want me there all the time._

Santana's phone rang and interrupted the girl's conversation. "It's Q. I'll see what she wants and then we can go see some more places. Brittany nodded and headed back for the kitchen, hoping to be an ice skater for a little bit longer.

"Hey Q, what's up?"

"I was just calling to ask you the same thing."

"Oh I'm looking for a place with Brittany."

Quinn smiled. She knew that if anybody could work her way into Santana's heart fast enough to get a place together already, it was Brittany. "Congratulations! Why can't you guys just stay at your place? It's big enough."

Santana was confused for a second before she caught on to what Quinn meant. "It's not like that. We are looking for a place for her to stay. Just her. Well, maybe me on some nights."

"What's wrong with her place with Rachel?"

"Apparently, Rachel is deciding to have her boyfriend/co-star move in and Brittany needs to move out."

"Wow. I knew she was a drama queen from what we've seen of her but I didn't know it was this bad." Quinn had a feeling that Rachel was the kind of girl who had gotten picked on a lot in high school because of her theatricality.

"Yea." Santana poked her head out of the room to see where Brittany was. Noticing she was in the kitchen, sliding around again, the brunette went back inside. "Do you think it would be too early for her to move in with me?" If she was going to get a second opinion from anybody, it'd be Quinn or Mercedes.

"For normal people? Probably. For you guys? I don't know. You two go so well together. It's hard to believe that you haven't known each other all of your lives, to be honest."

_Great. That brought me absolutely nowhere._ "Um. Thanks, Q."

"Sorry I can't be of more help but this is like, your first real relationship. I don't know how to go at all these situations!"

Santana laughed, knowing it was true.

"Anyways, what are you doing tonight?" Quinn asked, hoping it wasn't anything important.

"I was going to take Britt to that new movie."

"Oh that scary one with all of the crazy mutants? Tell me how that is! Sam has been begging to go but I don't know if I can handle it. It looks freaky." Quinn shuddered. She had never really liked scary movies. During their teenage sleepovers, she would always make Santana bring a funny movie to watch after the scary one.

"Um…no." Santana was almost too embarrassed to admit the truth but she did it anyways, knowing it was going to come out sooner or later. "We are going to see that new animated movie about the fish. It's supposed to be like Finding Nemo but it's centered around Dory's niece or something like that?"

"Oh, cool." Quinn replied, trying to be nonchalant.

"Just cool? No making fun of me for taking my girlfriend on a date to a kid's movie."

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Because, Satan, you have a niece who has been begging to go to that movie and said niece happens to have parents who would love to have a child-free date night of their own on a Saturday night."

Santana couldn't help but laugh at Quinn's bluntness. "Real subtle."

"It's never been my strength. So will you take your loving niece who adores the shit out of you to a point where I'm a little scared with you?"

"Depends. How long?" Santana really didn't care if it was two hours or two years. That kid could hang around her as much as she wanted, especially if it worried Quinn.

"Just for tonight and maybe tomorrow morning. Please?" Quinn was hoping that Santana's oddly good mood was still happening. After the party that was at the bar for Santana, she'd left with Brittany. Though the theory was that she was sick and that's why she had left early, Quinn was pretty sure that wasn't it.

"Ok. Will you drop her off at my place around six thirty then? It's the least you could do since I'm being so generous."

"Fine. I'll see you in a while then."

Santana hung up the phone and went out to get Brittany. Before she could lead the girl out of the small apartment, she was pulled into some interesting dance moves. If she hadn't been a cheerleader in her high school years, she probably wouldn't be able to keep up. Also, she had the added advantage of not wearing socks so she had a firm grip on the tile floors while Brittany slipped every now and then. She had almost fallen to the ground after a spin but Santana had caught her in her arms.

"How about we go see some different ones now? Maybe they will have some better dancing possibilities for you."

"Okay. Will you dance with me there too?"

"I have an even better idea. How about you dance _for_ me there?"

Brittany giggled. The dance that Brittany had originally planned for the celebration night was still shown later that night after the two had gotten their strength back. Santana had been very impressed and was constantly asking for encores instead of letting Brittany surprise her. It had been quite the confidence boost for Brittany and had given her something to bargain with instead of just her signature pout.

The two held hands and walked out. They went to Santana's car and grabbed the newspaper that had been their source for open places. Seeing another nearby, both go out and walked to the building.

Brittany opens Santana's front door with a groan of annoyance to match the one that she had done earlier. There was only one apartment that she'd liked and could afford but it was all the way across town and that would be a problem with her lack of transportation. She had insisted that public transportation would be fine but Santana didn't trust it.

"What am I going to do?" Brittany turned around to face the brunette and just missing Santana staring at her backside.

"Right now, you're going to take a deep breath, relax on the couch, and wait for me to make you a delicious meal."

"Do you want some help?"

"Did everything I just said go in one of your ears and out the other?"

"San that's not possible. My brain is in between my ears!" Brittany imagined Santana's words entering her ear and getting jumbled and mashed together as they ran into her brain. Brittany dazed off as her imagination ran wild and Santana just shook her head and pushed her over to the couch.

She moved to the kitchen as she heard the tv turn on and some romantic comedy movie start playing. Deciding to make it easy on herself, she made mac and cheese. When it was done, Santana dished it out onto two plates and brought them back to the living room. Brittany took her plate without even looking away from the screen. The two enjoyed the rest of the movie and soon enough Santana saw it was already 6:15 p.m.

"Babe?"

Brittany took one last giant bite of her mac and cheese and turned to her girlfriend, mouth full.

"I'm going to wait until you're finished with that."

Brittany rolled her eyes and started to chew as fast as she could and swallow without choking. She opened her mouth and took a quick drink of the water Santana had gotten for her before turning again to the brunette. "Done!"

"Ariana is coming over in about fifteen minutes and-"

"Ari is coming?" Brittany interrupted. When Santana nodded the blonde clapped and bounced on the couch a little. "Yes!"

Santana smiled, adoring the fact that her girlfriend was so happy to have her niece over even though it was the weekend. "Yeah. I was planning on taking you to that new animated fish movie. I forgot what it was called, though. Do you want to go?"

Brittany's smile got even bigger at the mention of the movie. "Yes! This is a great way to end this sucky day!" Brittany leaned over to hug Santana, who returned it with a smile of her own.

"Alright then. Go get ready!" Santana laughed as Brittany bounced up and pulled her with to go change clothes.

* * *

><p>After the movie, the three girls played some board games. It was enjoyable as the two older women forgot about their problems and the little girl vented about her own. Apparently, her best friend shared her crayons with a girl that didn't really like Ariana because she was jealous of her dancing ability. That had caused a small fight between the two young friends. Santana couldn't help but wish she was young again and that was her biggest problem.<p>

When Ariana started to fall asleep at the table they were playing at, Santana decided it was time for the girl to go to sleep. "Alright Ari. It looks like it's time for you to go to bed." The young girl didn't even protest when Santana picked her up and instead just curled up in her aunt's arms and fell asleep again.

"She's just the cutest." Brittany said as she followed Santana to Ariana's room. She noted how special the girl was to have her own room even if it wasn't her house.

"I know I am. Good things she's asleep or Ari might be jealous." Santana joked with a wink, finally making it over to the young girl's bed.

Brittany followed and quickly kissed Santana chastely when she stood up. "She's cute. You're sweet and sexy."

"Thanks babe. You're pretty gorgeous yourself." Santana said as she tucked in her niece. As the two turned to leave the room, they heard the young girl stir. "Aunt Tana?"

Santana immediately turned around and went back to the bed. She reached her hand down to push back the young blonde girl's hair that had slightly covered her face. The hazel eyes that gazed sleepily up at her always made her smile. "Yes Ari?"

"Sing."

"What do you want me to sing?" By now, Brittany had joined Santana's side and had sat down on the edge of the young girl's bed.

Santana looked between the two blondes looking at her and waiting patiently. She wracked her brain for an appropriate song. She didn't know many lullabies and so she just decided for a soft love song that she figured would get the job done. As soon as she started, Ariana curled up on her side and closed her eyes, focusing on her aunt's voice. That left Santana to stare into Brittany's blue eyes.

_For you, there'll be no more crying  
>For you, the sun will be shining<br>Cause I feel that when I'm with you  
>It's alright, I know it's right.<em>

_To you, I'll give the world  
>To you, I'll never be cold<br>Cause I feel that when I'm with you  
>It's alright, I know it's right<em>

_And the songbirds are singing  
>Like they know the score<br>And I love you, I love you, I love you  
>Like never before<em>

Santana's song was interrupted by loud snore. Ariana had obviously fallen asleep during the first few lines but Brittany and Santana had been lost in each other.

"I guess that's our cue to get out of here?" Santana reached out her hand and after it was taken, she pulled her girlfriend up. Their hands stayed clasped together as they moved back to Santana's bedroom.

The two stripped down to their underwear and climbed onto the bed. Brittany fell back and opened her arms and Santana crawled into them, dragging the sheets and comforter up with her to cover them up. They sat there for a second, just enjoying the quiet contact with the other and quietly laughing when they realized their breathing had synced up together.

"Are you nervous?" Brittany broke the silence.

"What do you mean?" Santana asked, she moved her head on Brittany's shoulder so she could look up at the blonde's face.

Brittany looked down to meet Santana's gaze. "For Monday. Are you ready to go back to coaching?"

Santana looked away, the first sign that Brittany knew she wasn't sure about going back. "I don't know, Britt. This could just happen all over again and I'm not sure I will get so lucky next time."

Brittany put her fingers under Santana's chin to direct their eyes together again. "It's ok to be scared for that. Do you really want to go back?"

"That's the thing. I'm not sure. I would like to because coaching was something that I was good at. I just don't know if I can get over this."

"You, Santana Lopez, can do anything. I believe it."

Santana smiled. "Thanks. And you know you'll find a place soon enough. One that's perfect for you." Santana pecked Brittany on the lips. "Good night."

"Night." Brittany replied, gripping Santana a little tighter. She could hear Santana's even breathing and knew that she fell asleep. It wasn't as easy for her. She couldn't help but think she was at the perfect place right now. Too bad Santana didn't feel the same way. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling Santana's body rise and fall with her slow, deep breaths. She softly whispered into dark hair. "I'm already there." Santana smiled when she heard that. It was small because she didn't want to alert the blonde that she was really awake still.

* * *

><p>The next day, Santana sent a quick text to Quinn. Today, instead of having Ariana go home early, they went to go get the little girl's kitten. Once she found out, the little blonde was bouncing around the house, talking about what the little furball will look like and how she'll love it so much. Brittany was happy to discuss and listen to the ramblings that poured out of Ariana's mouth.<p>

The blondes' discussion lasted the whole drive to the pet store. This gave Santana time to plan what she wanted to do tonight. Hopefully, it would be the solution to at least one of the two major problems she's been trying to fix.

The pet store had quite a few different kittens. There were orange ones, white ones, and even black ones. Ariana was immediately drawn to a black one that was running up and down the play area. The small animal had two white paws, which Brittany immediately dubbed the cat's "socks." While Santana took care of all the papers and technical stuff, the other two talked about names. There were names that ranged from simple like "Socks" and "Midnight" to weirder ones like "Duke Dark Cat" and "Kitty Kitty Bang Bang" but no decision was made. The cat sat in the back in a small carrier with Ariana. The little girl talked to it the whole ride and the poor cat remained nameless. Before heading all of the way home, Santana stopped at a shop really quick and told the other two to wait in the car because she needed to use the bathroom. Neither blonde thought about it too much, both more concerned with the cute cat in the car.

When they arrived back at Santana's, they started to set up everything. There was a litter box set out and water and food dishes. A small collar was placed around the tiny kitten's neck and Santana turned to the little girl who had been following closely behind the cat since she set him on the floor. "So what're you going to call it?"

"I don't know." Ariana said with a frown, not even bothering to look up from the kitten crawling around the floor. "Well, keep thinking about it. Have some fun with him now because your mom will be here in about an hour. Just don't be too rough."

"Ok. Aunt Tana." Santana moved to join Brittany on the couch when she felt tiny arms wrap around her leg.

"What the-"

"Thank you so much Tana! I love you and my kitty is the greatest!" Santana smiled and patted the top of the girl's head, happy that she was happy. Hopefully by the end of the night, another person will be thanking her so much.

After Ariana had left, Santana took Brittany's hand. She pulled her up from the coach and went to the closet to grab two sweatshirts. She threw one to Brittany who put it on without question. "We're going for a walk." Santana said and Brittany smiled and followed her girlfriend out.

The two held hands all the way to their destination. When Santana stopped at the bench near Puck's, she brought them both down to sit. Brittany let the nostalgia wash over her with a smile on her face. She leaned over to put her head on Santana's shoulder, not knowing the brunette was slowly trying to build up her courage in that moment.

She shrugged her shoulder, making Brittany move her head up and frown at her. "What's wrong, San?"

"Turn that way." Santana pointed in the opposite direction and Brittany gave her a confused look before doing as she was directed.

She felt her hair being gathered together and lifted to the side. Next, she felt something being brought over her head and around her neck. It was too bulky to be a necklace, so she looked down to examine whatever it was.

Brittany gasped and squealed with happiness at the hot pink lanyard that had "Hottie" repeating around it, complete with flaming lettering. It wasn't the most expensive gift or one that she really understood why she got but she loved it none the less.

"Aww, San! I love it!" Brittany said as she turned back around and hugged Santana tightly.

Santana just laughed in her girlfriend's arms before pulling away. "I'm glad you like the lanyard, Britt. Actually, what I really wanted you to have is this." Santana reached for the lanyard and traced it down to the bottom. She brought up what was hanging there to dangle between their faces. It was a key that Brittany had seen before.

"Why is your key on it?"

Santana smiled when she saw Brittany's shocked expression. Part of her had expected the blonde to freak out or something, but of course there was still time for that after her explanation.

"I want you to move in with me. I know we haven't known each other long but I feel happier when I'm with you and I love having you around already. I thought I'd wait for this step but seeing as it was kind of sprung upon you, I'd take the opportunity to do it now. I love you. Um…" Santana tried to think if she said everything she wanted to. Her planned speech ended up just being words pouring out like word vomit but Brittany seemed to get the picture. "So, will you do me the honor of being my roommate."

"No." Brittany said with a smile.

Santana's own smile faltered. "Wait. What? I'm sorry. I knew it might be too soon but I thought it'd be ok since it's us and we go so good together and"

"San. Shut up. I want to move in with you. But it will be you doing me the honor!"

Santana breathed a sigh of relief. She lightly hit Brittany's arm. "You had me so scared! I felt like such a loser."

"You are a loser! Mine!"

Brittany moved in to kiss Santana, who responded eagerly. The two made out for a little bit on the bench. Santana had chosen this spot because it seemed so many good things happened by or at Puck's bar so it seemed only right. It made butterflies appear in her stomach when she thought about other things she was going to do at this landmark of their relationship.

When the two finally pulled their faces away from each other, Santana sighed and leaned their foreheads together. "Also, I wanted to tell you what I've decided about my job situation."

"And?"

* * *

><p>A*N – WAIT! Before you all exit out of this not knowing whether to smile because of the fluffiness or punch me for not saying Santana's decision, I want you all to do me a favor. We have fanart that relates to this story (specifically the jealous BrittanyMrs. Anderson scene of last chapter)! Head on over to deviantart's website and look up the artist so awesomely named watup2mycup. To me, this is probably one of the greatest forms of flattery and I'm so honored that she would take the time to make it. If it would've been stick figures I probably would've screamed with joy but this is some awesome stuff! Many thanks to her for her kind words and amazing work! The picture is named "I just couldn't wait" but you should definitely check out the other stuff!

This update ended up being postponed because I've been busy. I had to drive over 3 hours to pick up my uncle the other day and I got my eyebrow pierced and saw the Glee movie! Also, it was Pride weekend and I missed like 90% of that so I feel like I've been punished enough.

Last but not least, I want any last suggestions for what Santana should do when Monday comes or what Ariana's little kitty should be named. Thanks for reading, I love you all!


	21. Chapter 21

"It's over."

"WHAT?" Puck yelled out to the bar. Mercedes shushed him and looked around with a smile, hoping to appear like nothing was wrong. Puck just shook his head before looking back at her. "Why?"

"I found someone else." Mercedes replied easily. She knew he had already cheated on her at least once so she wasn't too concerned about him. He'd probably find another girl by the end of the day. It was just his pride that hurt at the moment.

"Is it Sam?" Puck asked, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"No!" Mercedes gave him a look that said he was crazy. "He's my best friend's baby daddy. You really think I'm going go all up on that?"

Puck shrugged then looked deep in thought. "Finn?"

Mercedes shook her head. "Kurt?" That didn't even get a reply.

"You don't know him." Mercedes finally told him. "He's a guy Kurt hooked me up with. She stopped Puck before he could open his mouth. "He's not gay."

Puck just smirked and nodded. He knew this wasn't _the_ relationship for him. He was actually happy for Mercedes though he had to admit he liked having her as his girlfriend.

Mercedes just let him think it all over, knowing that was his way of processing things. Just give him some silence and he'll come to his own kind of conclusion. After a few minutes he looked up to her. "So we are still friends right?"

Mercedes nodded. "I would actually really like that, Puck."

"And you'll totally be my wingman if I need you? Well, wing-lady?"

Mercedes just laughed and shook her head. "You would ask that. You know what? Sure, as long as you are a gentleman to whomever the poor girl is."

The two shook hands, happy to be able to hopefully stay friend after breaking up.

* * *

><p>It was Monday morning. Santana woke up to a jostling in her bed and Brittany's thoughtful expression, which quickly turned to a smile when she realized the brunette was waking up. As Santana rubbed at her eyes and slowly blinked them open, she caught a flash of color that wasn't usually in her bed, unless of course Brittany was wearing hot pink underwear. Considering that last night they celebrated Brittany's agreement to move in, that wasn't an option this time. She had to laugh when she realized it was the lanyard she had given her girlfriend last night.<p>

"Did you wear that to bed?" Santana tried to remember if she had seen it last night but her thoughts were quickly lost to ones of Brittany's soft skin and loud moans.

"San!" Brittany poked at a tan shoulder, hoping to kick the girl out of her daze.

"What?" Santana tried to look innocent but her guilty expression showed through and Brittany noticed.

"You were thinking about last night, weren't you?" Santana nodded with a smirk. "Aww that's cute. I was trying to tell you that I got up earlier and put it on. I really like wearing it." Brittany twisted it around her fingers until it was tight around her neck before quickly releasing it again.

Santana found the tiny smile the blonde wore as she picked up the key and pretended to unlock a door with her tongue poking out. _Morning breath be damned._ She reached up and pulled her girlfriend's lips towards her own, happy to have her kiss be eagerly excited.

"Are you ready for your day today, San?"

Santana took a breath and nodded. She actually wasn't sure if she was ready but her decision was made. Today was it.

"I'm proud of you."

"For?"

"For choosing what you did. I don't know what I would've done. I'm used to just doing whatever is easiest. It worked for me because that dancing but I don't think it works for everybody." Brittany said honestly, trying to think of an example where it didn't work out for someone. She remembered a cartoon she watched with Ariana about somebody who took the easy way out but then she got distracted thinking about other episodes and soon enough she was off track.

When she started to stare of into space, Santana just stared at the blonde. Somehow, just looking at her and knowing that she was hers made everything better. Suddenly, this day wouldn't be so bad. No matter what, she had Brittany to come home to now. It was their home.

"By the way I might not be home when you get back."

_Or not, _Santana thought in her head. "Why not, babe?"

"Rachel is helping me pack my stuff. I mean, since I'm moving in I can bring it over, right?" Brittany shyly looked down at the key still in hands. Maybe she had misinterpreted all of this, even though she was pretty sure Santana had meant it.

"Of course!" Santana smiled and put her hand on Brittany's cheek, running her thumb along the smooth skin. She waited for her girlfriend's smile to appear once again, which it quickly did. "I was just looking forward to coming home to you. If you are getting your stuff though, I'm more than okay with that because it means I can look forward coming home to _our _place."

"I like the way that sounds. _Our_ place." Brittany grinned. She repeated the phrase over and over in different accents and voices that made Santana laugh at how silly her girlfriend could be. She even tried a few of her own. Pretty soon they were speaking sentences in weird accents, just enjoying the little amount of time they had before they had to get up and get ready.

"I never knew you could do a good Harry Potter accent."

Santana laughed at Brittany's wording, knowing she meant British accent.

Eventually the two decided to get out of bed. They took a joint shower. That allowed them some more time together but they were forced themselves back from any funny business. It wasn't exactly the easiest thing they'd ever done.

After they double checked very thoroughly that each of their bodies was clean, the pair got out and finished getting dressed and putting on their makeup. There were sweet kisses stolen every now and then but neither complained. _I definitely wouldn't mind that for the rest of my life. Woah Lopez, slow down. Let's make it to a month first, yeah?_

The girls shared a quick breakfast, just scrambled eggs and toast before leaving their separate ways.

* * *

><p>When Brittany entered the gym that day, Coach Beiste noticed the good mood radiating off of the blonde.<p>

"Still in a good mood from that day off?" Coach Beiste chuckled.

"She asked me to move in with her!" Brittany couldn't hold it in. If she was honest with herself, she didn't exactly try too hard.

"How long have you been dating?"

"Um…a little more than three weeks. Almost a month!" Brittany nodded her head as she counted off the days, double checking to see if she was right.

"Not that I'm some kind of relationship yoda, but isn't that a little soon?" Coach Beiste really didn't want to put down the good mood her assistant was in but she cared about her and wanted to make sure she was making the right kind of choices. It was hard not to grow kind of protective of Brittany.

"I don't think so. I feel really comfortable with her. See, my roommate Rachel pretty much owns the place I used to stay at. Now she kind of kicked me out, but I'm not mad at her because she just wants to play house with her boyfriend without me around. I even asked if I could pretend to be their dog. San took me out to look for a place so I didn't think she was going to ask me but then she gave me this-" Brittany pulled out the lanyard that was wrapped around her neck and tucked into her shirt. "and asked me to move in! It was sweet and we had really good sex afterwards."

Coach Beiste closed her eyes, as if that would erase Brittany's previous statement from her head. _Didn't need to know that._ "Well, I really hope it works out for you, Brittany. You're a good person. If you ever need a place to stay or Santana treats you badly, I have a guest room that's free. It's there if you need it."

Brittany could hear the sincerity in the coach's voice and she gave her a hug. "I don't think she'll ever treat me badly. Thanks, though."

Coach Beiste just nodded and soon enough they heard the excited chatter of small children.

* * *

><p>Santana pulled up to the school. It was her first day back. It had been an on-going discussion in her own head whether or not she would come back. In the end, she decided it was something she had to do. It was one of the things she knew she was good at. Not only that, but nobody scares away Santana Lopez, especially not some snotty lying teenager.<p>

She established some new rules for herself and her squad. No more one on one meetings in her office. They would either be on the field when the rest of the squad was present or in her office with her new assistant coach.

That was one reason why she was headed straight to Principal Jordan's office instead of back to her own when she arrived. Once again, she put on her HBIC face and walked through the doors all the way to the secretary's office. She confirmed that Mr. Jordan was, in fact, in his office and available at the moment. She quickly thanked the secretary and walked around to his door behind the desk. Boldly, she reached out and did a few quick, loud knocks.

"Come in." Mr. Jordan's voice could be heard through the door

Santana opened the door and walked in, head held high. Mr. Jordan actually had to hide his smile when he noticed the same confident woman walk in that he used to see stroll the halls and put an almost inappropriate amount of fear into most of the students.

"Ahh Ms. Lopez. It's nice to see you back in these halls."

"I haven't actually walked through any halls yet. I'm letting the rumors that my car is back in the parking lot have time to fly around."

"I'm sure it won't take long. That kind of stuff never does around here."

Santana just nodded, knowing that it was true.

"Please, sit down." Mr. Jordan indicated to the chair directly in front of his desk. It always made Santana smile when she had to sit there because it reminded her of the few times in high school she had sat in the principal's office. Usually it was just as Sue's posse but a few times it was for fighting or scaring her classmates. She never got into any real trouble, just half-hearted warnings.

"I wanted to talk about getting an assistant coach." Santana just got straight to her point.

"I see. May I ask why? Are your head cheerleaders not doing a good job?" Mr. Jordan asked, not realizing the subject was kind of an awkward topic.

"I just think it would be, um, more _professional._" Santana tried to emphasis the last word, hoping the principal would get what she was referring to. She thinks it worked when he froze for a second before nodding in agreement.

"Oh, yes. Did you have anybody in mind or do we need to put out an advertisement?"

"I think we could just put a notice in the paper and have interviews or something. I'd be willing to do the interviews personally but I don't want to do it without your permission." If it was a month ago, Santana would've done it without consulting the man in front of her. Now, she was careful to stay on the man's good side, especially after the support he tried to show during the incident.

"I will go ahead and make that happen then. Thank you for coming to me and discussing this."

Santana nodded and got up. She walked over to the door but before she could leave, the principal cleared his throat.

"Ms. Lopez?" Santana turned and noticed he looked nervous. "I know this may seem, inappropriate, but were any of the, um, undergarments that were in your drawer your own personal, um, clothes? We could return them to you." Mr. Jordan's cheeks turned a light pink.

Part of Santana wanted to yell at him for bringing it up but part of her wanted to laugh at him for his embarrassment. "No. I had never seen any of those before. I don't ever want to see them again." With that, Santana left his office.

She slowly strolled down the halls, no morning cheerleading practice today. It was odd to be back. She was gone a week but she knew that half of her squad would have new boyfriends and girlfriends, new routines if they practiced at all while she was absent, and possibly a new captain. Obviously, Tia would not be able to keep her position as captain. She accused Santana and lied just like Britney had and that couldn't go unpunished. She would be allowed to stay on the squad because she came clean, even if it wasn't for the best reason.

She was just wondering when the bell was going to ring when she heard somebody call out her name. "Ms. Lopez!" Santana turned around to find the voice.

"Mercedes. What's up?"

"Just wanted to say welcome back. It's nice to have someone here who I actually hang out with outside of school." Mercedes shrugged and started walking beside her best friend as they made their way down the hallways still walking slowly with the occasional stares and fingers being pointed at Santana. Soon enough, everybody knew the coach was indeed back. Santana nodded at a few of her cheerleaders that were giving her hopeful looks.

"So, I just want you to know that I asked Brittany to move in with me."

Mercedes gasped in surprise. Santana felt a hand being put to her forehead as if to check her temperature before she pushed it away. "I'm not sick!"

"I wanted to check. You, Santana Lopez, HBIC, No-Love-Lopez, Satan, asked somebody to live with you? A girlfriend, no less!"

Santana's mouth dropped open. She had never heard 'No-Love-Lopez' before. _C'mon. Is it really that surprising that I asked her to move in?_ Santana closed her mouth and shrugged, trying to play it cool. "The Hobbit is making her move out. We couldn't find a place for her so I offered up mine. Plus, she's great with animals I have Ariana's cat now and that thing already freaks me out. It almost walked in on me and Britt-"

"Don't need to know that!" Mercedes quickly interrupted, putting her hand in the air for emphasis. "To be honest, I'm shocked, but I'm happy for you two. I'm glad somebody managed to melt the ice around your heart."

"Oh, Britt's definitely hot enough to do that." Santana smiled, getting lost in thoughts of her blonde, naked, just like she tended to do many times in a day. The day she got tired of seeing that was the day she thought Finn was the hottest man alive.

"Speaking of relationships, I broke up with Puck." Mercedes tried to casually sneak it, even though she wanted to talk all about it.

"What?" Santana asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. She knew the two weren't the kind of 'forever love' that movies showed but it still seemed kind of unexpected.

"I met someone else."

"Who? Why haven't I heard about this guy? Is he hot? Is her richer than Puck?"

"Well, you've been a little preoccupied with that situation and then with Brittany so I didn't exactly have sharing time with you. Yes, my new man is very hot and I don't know if he is richer than Puck and I really don't care. As long as he doesn't live in his mother's basement or is a serial killer or anything then I'm good."

Santana smiled and wiggled her eyebrows. "Alright. My girl's getting it! Somebody's a heart breaker and a love maker. Wanky!"

"I can't believe you still say that." Mercedes shook her head as they came up to her classroom.

"I gots to keep up my rep. It'll catch on yet."

"I've got to go get ready for these damn kids today. I'll talk to you later, Satan. Lunch?"

Santana nodded and said a quick goodbye before taking off towards her office. It was weird to have so many smiles directed towards her. Most of the kids and even the teachers seemed to be happy to have her back. She thought they would all be angry or sad that she had come back. Though she would never admit it, she was happy to see them, too.

When Santana opened the door of her office, she couldn't help but feel a small smile pull at her lips. It wasn't the most extravagant office but it had been her first and only. She walked over and sat down at the desk. The first thing she did in her new office was reach into her pocket and take out a picture. It was another one of Brittany and she grabbed some scotch tape off her desk and taped it to her computer monitor. She breathed out a sigh of content as she stared at the pretty blonde in the picture.

She turned her computer on. She didn't use it often, preferring to use just a pen and paper, but it was useful when she wanted to check her school email inbox. Another smile appeared when Ariana's smiling face looked at her from the screen. Santana had forgotten that she had put that as her background a while ago. It made her feel like this decision was the right one.

After taking her time relearning the feel of her office, it was finally time for lunch. She was able to meet up with Mercedes and the two talked about the details of how the break up was administered and how Puck took it. Santana also told the story of how she asked Brittany to move in with her after Mercedes' relentless prodding.

"Aww, that's cute. Who knew Satan was just the sweetest thing?"

"We had some really hot sex afterwards. It was totally worth it." Santana added.

"And then you ruin the moment. Way to be." Mercedes couldn't help but laugh.

"Like I said this morning, I have a reputation to keep." Santana winked and smirked and Mercedes couldn't help but notice some similarities between her best friend and her ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, the comfort that she quickly found in him and her ability to know how to handle him made so much more sense.

Lunch ended and Santana spent the rest of her day catching up on new competitions and requirements that were created during her absence. Soon enough, the time for practice had arrived.

She was nervous about how this was going to go but made sure that her face didn't show it. Now wasn't the time for weakness. She had to come back stronger than ever. Grabbing her clipboard and putting on a spare pair of aviators she had in her desk, Santana made her way out onto the field for the first time in a week.

"First things first, Tia, you are no longer head cheerleader." She ignored the girl's jaw drop and squeak of protest. "For now, there is no leader and you are all equals. I will be watching you closely, looking for my new head cheerleader. You will need to prove leadership, honesty, fairness, and other qualities that I don't want to go into detail about. I've already taken more time to talk then I wanted to. Show me what you've achieved while I was away. That's right, I'm back and I'm ready to roll. Now move!"

Santana smirked when the squad looked worriedly at each other. It would be a long practice, but damn it felt good to be back.

* * *

><p>Santana entered her own house, exhausted from the terrible practice she had just had. It wasn't terrible because of the job. No, she had a new appreciation for it, in fact. It was terrible because her squad had apparently not had a real, organized, hard-working practice since she had been gone. She had previously had them on such a tight schedule that the week off had thrown them all completely. After three drops and near-injuries, Santana gave up on lifts and tosses. She was just happy to find simple moves could still be executed better than most squads.<p>

She looked up and was surprised to find some new stuff decorating her place. There were a few pictures of her blonde with various people and animals. There was a bright multi-colored blanket hanging over the back of the couch. She saw a few new pairs of shoes and coats when she opened the closet to put her own away. This all made her exhausted frown grow into a pleased smile. She was surprised by the warm feeling she got every time she saw something of the blonde's around the rooms. She heard some rummaging around in the bedroom and she assumed Brittany was back there.

She smiled when her assumptions were proved right. Her girlfriend was stretching up to put some things on the top shelf of the closet. It was one Santana didn't use because she would always need to get something to stand on so she could reach it. It seemed just high enough for the blonde to reach if she went on her tip-toes.

When Brittany came back down flat on her feet, Santana snuck up and wrapped her arms around the girl and kissed her neck, exposed by a slightly curled pony tail. She chuckled when she felt the girl jump before immediately relaxing into the familiar touch. "Hey there, my gorgeous roomie."

"San!" Brittany spun in her girlfriend's arms so they could share a kiss. "I'm glad your home. I've been moving stuff and it has been going so fast. Rachel had packed most of my stuff for me and drove it over as soon as I was done with school. I think she was ready to have me out of her place."

"Well, I'm glad _you're_ home." Santana smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

><p>A*N – It's five in the morning for me, so here's an update? Just another reminder that if you go to deviantart(dot)com and look up an artist named watup2mycup, you'll find a great piece of fanart that relates to this story.<p>

I'm thinking one more chapter for this story and it'll be done. It'll most likely be more of an epilogue chapter as well. I'm ready to start on a fantastic prompt I got a while ago that has been slowly working itself into an interesting story in my mind and it needs to be written! It's not like anything I've read before and it is Brittana centric so hopefully I'll see some of you again when I finally get around to writing it! I move in to my dorm this weekend and I start college next week so I hope you guys are okay with a small hiatus. I was told I need to get a tumblr to keep you all up to date but I don't know if I really should or not, yet. Anybody think it's a good idea?

Anyways, I need to get to finally go to sleep. If you have any more cat name suggestions feel free to share! It will be revealed next chapter! Thanks for reading and such as usual, I really appreciate each one of you!


	22. Chapter 22

"Alright, Single moms where you at?"

"Puck, shut the hell up!"

"Santana! Language! We are at an elementary school."

"Sorry Q. Tell Puck to pay attention and not scope out the single mothers."

"I'm done. They all look either married or no fun."

Santana shook her head. She was unhappily seated beside Puck but thankfully had Quinn on her other side. On the other side of Quinn was Sam. Mercedes had come too but she had sat with one of the male elementary teachers she had been crushing on. They were all there to watch the small dance show that the elementary kids were putting on and most of the dances were choreographed by Brittany, who was backstage.

It had been five months since Brittany had moved in and aside from a few small arguments, which oddly ended up in Santana staying out on the couch even though it was originally her place to begin with, things were great. Every now and then Santana would still surprise her girlfriend with some kind of romantic date or some sweet gesture of sorts. Even Brittany had started to come up with more and more of her own creative ideas to make Santana happy, mostly having to do with sex. Everybody was more than happy to find out that exciting and frequent sex made the brunette a much happier person in general.

As the principal finally ended his speech, the small group stopped talking, prepared to watch. The performance started by grade, each having their own group dance. After each grade did their part, soloists from each grade came out and made a half circle before taking turns and dancing their own part.

Brittany had to bite her lip to keep from laughing or joining in when she heard the distinct shouts coming from Santana and Puck every time Ariana would be front and center. Quinn would wear a proud smile and try to ignore the two beside her while Sam would give a thumbs up. Ariana's confidence grew when she heard and saw the support of the people she knew that had come to watch her. Brittany was even impressed when she saw the young girl move as gracefully as she did when she was that age.

When the show was over, all of the solo dancers came back on stage. One of the older kids held a microphone and shyly asked Brittany to come to the stage.

"Ms. Pierce, would you come out here, please?"

Brittany looked around backstage, not expecting to be called out. Coach Beiste, who was with her, pushed her out from behind the curtain. The blonde caught herself before she could fall and shyly smiled as she walked out to the middle. Santana wolf-whistled, ignoring the disapproving faces of the other parents. _Fuck them. Jealous bitches. They all just wants in them cute little black dress pants._

The microphone was passed to a small girl next. "Thank you for helping us put on the show."

Once again the microphone was handed off. Brittany watched the next kid, waiting for him to speak up but he just smiled back at her. She felt a tug at her dress shirt and turned around to find hazel eyes shining back at her.

"Hi, Ari." She whispered, not knowing why the young girl was trying to get her attention or if she even should be at a time like this. Brittany understood her purpose as suddenly a bouquet of roses appeared from behind Ariana's back and thrust up to her.

Brittany turned around again when the young boy spoke. She desperately tried to hide her tears of happiness. "These are from all of us." The boy held out the microphone as he walked over and hugged Brittany's leg. Soon enough, all of the other kids joined in.

"Thanks Britt."

"Thank you Ms. Pierce."

"I can dance good now cause of you!"

"Don't leave us!"

Brittany heard the young kids thank her and beg her to stay over the applause and aww's coming from the audience.

"I'll come back to visit! Don't worry guys. I promise!" She assured the kids as the curtains closed around them. One by one they started to reluctantly let go of their dance teacher. The only kid left was Ariana, who giggled right before another set of arms winded around Brittany from behind.

Naturally reacting to Santana's touch, she leaned back into her girlfriend's arms. She was both exhausted and happy. "You want to go out and celebrate?" Santana asked her, smiling when Ariana wrapped one arm around Brittany's leg and her other around her own, effectively hugging both women as best as she could.

Brittany lazily shook her head, blonde hair falling into her face. She was too tired to even push it away. "You want to go home and cuddle?" Santana tried again. This time, Brittany nodded with a small smile, enjoying just the thought of cuddling with her girlfriend.

"Good because the first one wasn't really an option, I already have plans for just the two of us." Santana whispered into Brittany's ear before nibbling a bit.

Apparently, her whispering wasn't as quiet as she thought because a small voice interrupted the two. "Aunt Tana! I want to spend time with Aunt Britty, too! You're always hogging her! You're s'posed to share. I learned that in pre-school so you should know it since you're old."

Santana couldn't help but smile before quickly replacing it with mock shock at being called old. Around month four of their relationship, Ariana had taken to calling Brittany "Aunt Britty." It was a win for everybody because Brittany felt accepted into the make-shift family that Santana had created for herself and Santana felt she had Ariana's approval in her choice of a girlfriend. "Well then why would you want to hang out with _old_ people? They're boring, like your parents."

"I never get time with you guys anymore!" Ariana dropped her grip that she had around the women's legs and pouted. She had been able to get anything from Santana with that pout before but lately she had made it even more powerful after watching Brittany so much.

Santana turned her face into Brittany's shoulder, shielding her eyes from her kryptonite. "You are so not playing fair right now, kid." She heard the little girl giggle at an unseen wink sent her way from Brittany.

"Are you done pouting yet?" Santana's muffled voice asked.

"No." Ariana answered. Santana kicked herself for letting that kid learn get her determination. Hers mixed with what Quinn had already given the young blonde with genetics made for a deadly combination. Everybody who knew the young girl knew she would be able to sit like that all night if she thought it would get her what she wanted.

"How about this weekend I'll get my lovely girlfriend here," Santana squeezed a half-asleep Brittany in her arms for emphasis. "and we'll both take you to the water park!"

"The one with the big slides that you can ride on with tubes?" Ariana asked, her pout faltering in favor of an awestruck face at the thought of her favorite water park.

Santana was thankful when she saw the little girl slowly giving up for the night. "Yes! We'll even ride down some with you if you want us to."

Ariana tapped her foot and tapped her chin with her index finger as if she was seriously thinking it over. It was a joke that she had learned from Santana. It was adorable but it was kind of killing the older two of the trio with suspense. "Okay." Ariana broke into a huge grin before hugging her aunts and running off to find her parents where they were talking with other parents.

"So, water park this weekend, babe?" Santana laughed as she asked. She had known Brittany would agree without having to ask.

"Sure, but let's get home now. I am dreaming of our nice warm bed."

_I'm dreaming of you, in a bikini, soaking wet. Whoa, water park wet dreams. No wait! Deserted water park wet dreams._ Santana grinned to herself, making Brittany shake her head. She could only imagine what the brunette was thinking of when she got that goofy "sexy thoughts" grin on her face. She knew she was right when she was pulled into a deep kiss after Santana snapped out of it. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>Ariana bounced up to her parents. She waited patiently, as she was taught, for them to acknowledge her instead of interrupting the adults' conversation. She looked around the room and was happy to see a lot of smiles.<p>

"Hey squirt. Great job out there. You totally owned."

The young girl jumped a little, surprised. She turned around to find a man she had seen a few times before. She scrunched her face up, trying to remember his name when it finally clicked. "Puckasaurus!"

Puck laughed at the small girl's enthusiasm. She launched herself at him and he swung her around in a circle. She liked Puckasaurus because he was Britty's friend and he was strong so he could pick her up and swing her around easily. It was always fun to feel her legs leave the ground but feel safe at the same time.

Puck stopped the spinning motions and tossed the girl a short distance in the air. He noticed Quinn eyeing him out of the corner of her eye and settled the girl on his hip. "What's up, buttercup?"

Ariana giggled at the grown man rhyming. Some men could be really scary looking but Puckasaurus and Daddy were okay. She petted the man's Mohawk as she started to talk. "Did you see me dance?"

"I sure did. You were awesome. Brittany might have to watch out because you're going to be as good as, if not better than her!" Puck tickled her sides a little, making her squeal. When he stopped, her eyes shone at being told she could be as good as Aunt Britty.

"She's really good, though!" She said, as if Puck didn't know.

"Yeah she is but so are you!" Puck grinned as Ariana's face turned a light pink at the compliment.

"Mrs. Anderson!" Ariana became distracted as she saw her teacher walk up. Little did Puck know, the teacher had seen some similarities in Puck and Santana while she was "observing" the crowd that happened to be in their general direction.

"Hello, mine name is Puck." He introduced himself with a smirk. He briefly noted that she didn't wear a wedding ring.

"I'm Mrs. Anderson, Ariana's teacher. You're so good with kids."

* * *

><p>"Would you want to go get a drink?" Mr. Erent asked.<p>

"I would love that! Should I give you my number, or?" Mercedes replied with a smile. She had a feeling it was going to be a good night.

"I was thinking we could just go now, if that's okay with you." The elementary teacher nervously said. He wasn't used to asking out girls because he was quite a shy person. He especially wasn't used to asking out loud and proud girls.

"That sounds like a plan. I know just the place!" The two turned and headed for the door. Their hands brushed a few times before he finally built up the courage to take hers in his own.

"And I would still like to have your number, as well."

* * *

><p>Tina lay back in Mike's bed, letting out a contented sigh and letting her eyes fall shut with a smile on her face. Mike's head soon came up out of the covers, wiping his mouth with a smirk. He found the well-satisfied look on Tina's face a huge compliment and it boosted his ego.<p>

"My last boyfriend was a dick." Tina said into the silence of the room.

Mike opened his mouth, not knowing how to reply to the sudden mention of an ex-boyfriend. It confused him why she even brought that up after what he had just did.

"Even if he wasn't, you'd still be, like, an infinity times better than him." Tina opened her eyes to smile at Mike as he awkwardly smiled back and lay down beside her. She pulled his arm out and used it as her own pillow before reaching her hand over to trace over his abs.

* * *

><p>Kurt was in a similar position as his friend, though neither would know until they gossiped to each other the next day. He, on the other hand, was fully clothed, as was his boyfriend. The two were two months into their relationship, having met at a fashion show.<p>

"How many times are you going to make me watch these old musicals?" Blake asked.

"Are you sure you're gay?" Kurt was baffled that he had become so smitten with a man that hadn't even seen half of his favorite movies.

"Considering I have a boyfriend who I really, really like, I'd say so." Blake retorted with a smile.

Kurt just laughed and placed a quick kiss to the other man's lips. He sent a sad look to his step-brother.

Finn was sitting on the recliner in Kurt's living room. He was on his third beer and was looking pretty down. He had been seeing a girl named Sarah but the two weren't official. They were supposed to go out tonight except she cancelled on him at the very last minute, preferring to go out with her friends instead. The candles he had set out hadn't even been lit and a small bouquet of lilies was laying somewhere in a dumpster that was between his apartment and Kurt's.

"You'll find her someday, Finn." Kurt tried to console him. He got a gruff grunt in return before the three turned back to the movie.

* * *

><p>Rachel ran around the set of her new film. Her co-star and new boyfriend was following her around like a puppy and it was starting to annoy her. That's what she gets for letting the film hire some no-name new guy with a cute face.<p>

_Note to self: No more dating co-stars._

* * *

><p>Santana opened the door before going back to pick up Brittany once again. She had been carrying the blonde to her door but had found trouble when she couldn't open it without setting her girlfriend down or pinning her between the wall and her own body. While that was tempting, it would lead down a path she didn't want to go to tonight. At least, not yet.<p>

Brittany's eyes were locked onto Santana's, full of adoration, as she was brought over the threshold. "You are so hot when you carry me." Brittany stated without thinking. Santana had to hold in her groan. _Just for a little while longer, Lopez. You can do it!_

She turned her body so the girl in her arms could face the direction they were heading. It was then that Brittany finally looked around their place to see the rose petals forming a trail to the dining room. "Oh my God! San! You are just too amazing!" Brittany smiled at the surprise, twisting to hug Santana tightly.

With all the wriggling, Santana had no choice but to set her girlfriend down. "Easy, Britt!" She laughed as kisses were placed all over her face. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of response she would get when Brittany found the rest.

Deciding she can't wait any longer, she took the blonde's hands in her own. Slowly she pulled, hinting to Brittany that they should continue through the rooms and follow the trail. The two moved on their way.

Santana walked backwards, holding Brittany's hands the whole way. She was watching the blonde's face to see the cute reactions that would appear. She was eager to turn the corner and see what her girlfriend would think of everything else.

Brittany's eyes widened even more. The sight before her wiped away all traces of her exhaustion. Rose petals had given way to roses attached to papers with pictures and phrases on them. Each picture was of the two of them in various places. All of the photos captured them looking into each other's eyes with smiles on their faces, love radiating from their expressions. It was breathtaking to Brittany and yet, there was more. On each of the papers that lined the room, there were the phrases that she soon realized were things Santana loved about her or expressions of love. Some simply said "your dazzlingly blue eyes" while others were longer like "Waking up to you every morning is the only way I ever want to wake up."

Santana had given her time to read the majority of the mini posters and had taken the bouquet of roses from the school out of her hands and into a vase to set on the counter for safe keeping. She had moved behind Brittany to guide her forward once more.

"All this is for me?" Brittany twisted her neck to look at Santana again, making sure to catch her answer.

"Duh. Why else would I be guiding you through and why else would there be pictures of us?" Santana answered her girlfriend's question with a question.

Brittany didn't answer and instead turned around to see what else awaited her, if there was more. _I am so lucky!_ She smiled when she saw Mr. Brad Tinkles, Ariana's cat, run by with a pretty bow tied around his neck. "You even dressed up Tink!"

Santana had to smile because only Brittany would point out the cat right away. It had taken some coaxing and a new cat toy to get the bow on him. Now, it was all worth it.

They had reached the bedroom. It had its door closed and there was a mirror on it. Brittany looked behind her and realized the pictures had been showing them from the beginning of their relationship until now. Looking in the mirror was showing them the most recent version of themselves and they both smiled at the image that was reflected back to them.

"Open the door, babe." Santana said. Brittany could hear a slight nervousness to her girlfriend's voice as spoke. She had to take a deep breath of her own before following directions.

When the door swung open, Brittany's legs gave out in surprise. Tears automatically welled up in her eyes as she read and re-read the sign that sat on their bed with a small box waiting underneath it.

_**Brittany Susan Pierce,**_

_**I love you and want to  
>be together forever.<br>Will you marry me?**_

Santana had felt Brittany's legs get weak and was able to catch her before she fell. "Britt?" She softly asked, anxious to know if the tears were of happiness or sadness.

Brittany wiped her tears and turned in Santana's arms. She kissed her as deeply and passionately as she could before pulling back and whispering. "You beat me."

"What?" Santana asked, not expecting to hear that.

"I was waiting for my last paycheck. Your ring is already picked out and being held at the jewelry store. You beat me."

Santana felt a few tears of her own come to her eyes. Brittany was already planning on proposing to her. The past month when she had been freaking out about the possibility of "too soon" and it not meaning the same to Brittany was all for nothing. Nothing was "too soon" for a love like theirs. _Except maybe kids. Actually a little Brittany sounds pretty fucking amazing._ "Is that a yes?"

"Of course! You're still getting your ring in about a week."

"Sounds good, babe. Let's celebrate?"

"First, put the ring on it!" Brittany flashed her ring finger before wrapping Santana up in her arms.

* * *

><p>A*N – Done done done! Now time for many messages. First, thanks for being patient. College move went well but my classes are already taking over my life.<p>

2 – I now have a tumblr. It's {writtentoberead}tumblr{com} with periods instead of brackets of course. I have one video (season 3 promo) on it at the moment, but I'll post more as I have time and feel like it. You can go there and ask me questions about my stories, myself, or stuff in general that I will answer to the best of my abilities. You can go there to see how my updates are coming and such. Don't be afraid to talk to me because I'm pretty friendly! Also, need some good Brittana/glee/just plain awesome blogs to follow so if you know some or you are one, let me know!

3 – As a thank you for your patience, kind words, and sticking with me, I want to give you guys something. However, it's up to you what it is. I can either put up a preview of my next story when it becomes available, the "celebration" (wink, wink) scene, or the day at the waterpark. The last two would delay my next story being published but it is all up to you guys. Whatever the majority picks will be put up as soon as I can get it written out. I will mark this story as complete, but will put whatever the reward will be as an update to it so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

4 – You guys are amazing! That's it. Thank you all and see you again hopefully!


	23. Chapter 23

Santana returned Brittany's embrace. She spun them around so they could slowly walk to the bed, both giggling because neither wanted to let go and they would rather face the challenge of walking together. When Brittany's legs hit the bed, the two started to kiss between small bursts of happy laughter.

Santana lightly pushed her fiancée back slowly, hoping to move their activities to the bed. Right before gravity took over and they fell, Brittany sprung back up. "Wait!"

Santana's arms were suddenly empty and she had to look around to figure out why. A shy smile came back when she noticed Brittany carefully picking up the hand-made sign as if it was made of glass. The blonde moved it over to their dresser and set it down, smoothing it out so it wouldn't crinkle. She smiled at it, rereading it again before turning back to the bed. She picked up the ring in its box with even more care, as if breathing on it might somehow tarnish it before returning to Santana. Her eyes were still fixed on the ring now that she was finally getting an up close look.

"It's so beautiful, San." Brittany breathed out softly, looking up to smile at Santana. Her smile only grew when she noticed Santana looked slightly embarrassed still.

"It was the prettiest one in the store so there was no question about it. I wanted to get you a better one but, of course it depended on um, if you said yes, I wanted to be able to get you the perfect wedding ring." Santana looked away shyly, nervous about admitting her plans and her decision about the rings.

"Aww, you're just so adorable!" Brittany laughed and leaned over to kiss the brunette on the cheek. "So, are you going to put it on me or what? You kind of have to do it." Brittany eagerly bounced in place and handed over the box.

Santana's hand shakily rose up to take the ring. She didn't know why she was so nervous anymore, Brittany had already said yes. _But what if the ring didn't fit? That could be a bad sign! What if she was allergic to it?_

Still running through bad situations in her head, Santana dropped down on one knee. Brittany gasped and grinned widely, not expecting the whole show. A tan hand reached out for hers. Her ring finger was singled out as she tried to not take her hand back so she could dance with joy. _Wait just a little bit longer, Brittany! Brittany Lopez! Brittany Pierce-Lopez? Brittany Lopez-Pierce? Ahh! She's putting the ring on!_

Brittany bit her lip to keep from squealing or screaming or making any loud or obnoxious noises. She just watched with shining eyes as Santana looked up to her with a huge smile when the ring was finally comfortably in place. _It's on. No explosions. It fits. Good work, Lopez. Now, ravish your glowing fiancée. _Santana grinned at her thoughts as Brittany practically ripped her hand away from Santana to jump up and down in circles letting out joyful squeals and little squeaks of "I'm getting married!" and "Lopez-Pierce-Pierce-Lopez-Pierpez-Lorce!"

"Are you really trying to mash up our last names?" Santana asked.

Brittany stopped her dance and pouted. "I don't know what we are going to call ourselves so I tried to do every combination."

Santana stood back up and hugged the blonde. Having the ring fit so perfectly and having Brittany dance and show such happiness wiped away all of her fears for now.

Brittany returned the embrace, looking at the ring on her hand over Santana's shoulder for a bit before pulling back and looking into dark eyes. "Now we can totally get it on."

Santana laughed because it was such an unromantic thing to say but it was just what she wanted to hear. Her laughter was cut short when Brittany picked her up. Her legs wrapped around the toned body on instinct, not that it was necessary because the blonde's muscles were more than enough to keep her safely held up. Brittany's arms held her tighter as she turned her back toward the bed to flop them both down onto it, causing Santana to straddle her.

The two finally brought their lips back together and they couldn't help their hands from reaching for each other's bodies. Brittany's roamed up and down the strong back of her fiancée and she suddenly wished they were nudists. _Clothes can be so cute but they take away sexy-times time. _Santana's own hands were half tangled in Brittany's hair and half resting on the pale face she was kissing, her thumbs rubbed soothingly over soft skin.

When Santana broke the kiss for air Brittany stared up at her with a big smile. This wasn't exactly what she dreamed of when she was growing up. She had dreamed of marrying a guy that was kind and gentle and had a white horse. A guy who would save her from the dragon but he wouldn't kill it because that'd be mean. Charity would have been her maid of honor and Lord Tubbington was going to be the one to marry her and her husband. While she still wished her cats could play their parts, she figured marrying Santana was better than her dreams. "I love you."

Santana smiled at the confession. While Brittany was thinking of her past wedding dreams, she had gotten lost in her own thoughts. She remembered when she had given up on marriage. Her life wasn't going to end with a white picket fence and a lifetime of memories with a certain person. Suddenly, she wouldn't have it any other way because Brittany was perfect. "I love you too, _fiancée._"

"What do you want to do tonight? Role-play? Sexy lingerie? Sex toys?" Brittany asked, wondering what Santana had in mind since tonight was kind of a special night.

"Actually I was thinking of going natural. It seems-hold up, we don't have sex toys?" Santana said, but made it come out as a question because Brittany didn't seem to notice her slip up.

"Oh yeah. Um, well, I was walking around the other day and I passed a store that looked pretty. It had some flashing lights and a pretty girl on a poster in the window. I was going to wait to give it to you as like, an engagement present." Brittany ended her story, slightly embarrassed that she ruined her planned surprise.

"Oh?" Santana arched an eyebrow and smirked at the beauty beneath her. She leaned down and whispered, ghosting her lips over Brittany's own. "We'll have to try that later, for now, I want to be the only person or thing to bring you, _pleasure._"

Brittany couldn't hold back her moan at the way the brunette had said the last word. She quickly moved her lips to capture the ones that were teasing her. "I really like the sound of that!" Brittany said enthusiastically and before Santana realized her partner's lips were gone they were back.

She felt strong hands move underneath her shirt and try to scoot it up, hindered by the way their bodies were pressed together. Brittany pulled back to check what the problem was and pouted when she realized the solution. "Can I rip your shirt?"

Santana looked confused before she realized Brittany didn't see moving apart as a solution and instead just ripping the clothes right off of her. She quickly pecked Brittany's lips again before lifting up and trying to ignore the pout in front of her. She whipped of her own shirt and quickly unhooked her own bra before flinging that away as well and nuzzling back up to her fiancée. "Better?"

"Yes, although I did get cold for a bit there."

Santana kissed her again, tangling their tongues together much to the approval of both of the women. "Accept my apology?" She whispered, eyes sparkling with joy.

"Only because I don't want to make you sleep on the couch on our first night as an engaged couple. I think you owe me a puppy now." Brittany said seriously.

Santana couldn't help her groan. She just wanted to get it on with her fiancée and now she was bringing up getting a puppy? "How about we talk about that later? For now, I'll make it up to you in other ways."

Brittany seemed to remember that Santana was topless and pressed into her and suddenly thoughts of puppies were gone and replaced by much less innocent thoughts. Instead of replying, she went straight back to ravishing the girl on top of her. Despite her reluctance at parting earlier, she pushed Santana up into a sitting position and shucked off her own shirt. Her face was at just the right height for her to kiss and lick at her favorite pair of breasts. Her mouth traveled, hoping to cover as much skin as possible and eventually coming in to focus on the hardening nipples that topped them.

Santana was delighted at the change in events, finally progressing to more satisfying things. Her moans weren't held back at all, sounding out into the room and matching Brittany's muffled ones. She managed to pull herself together long enough to help the gorgeous girl underneath her get her bra off. After it was discarded, she happily palmed Brittany's breasts and looked down to find a dazzling pair of dark lust-filled blues looking back at her.

Brittany couldn't take the gaze of the almost-black eyes looking at her and wrapped her arms around the tiny but fit body on top of her. Before Santana knew what was happening she was being flipped onto her back and she felt hands working at her pants.

"Stupid button. Stupid zipper. Stupid clothes. Want my fiancée naked." Santana heard the blonde mumble. She had to bit her lip to stifle her giggle. It was kind of cute and at the same time it turned her on because of how much Brittany wanted her. She lifted her hips up, hoping to help the process of getting her clothes off but she's pretty sure that Brittany wouldn't have let anything stop her.

The grin that appeared on Brittany's face was almost comical in Santana's opinion. In reality, she didn't have time to dwell on it before something even more amusing happened. Her fiancée started to hop around the room, tearing off her clothes and if it wasn't for her experience with balancing as a dancer, Santana was pretty sure the girl would've fallen to the ground multiple times.

Finally rid of all of their clothes, Brittany climbed back onto the bed, laying so the two could face each other. Time seemed slowed down now that they weren't attacking each other. The two women just looked into each other's eyes, smiling and letting a few giggles escape.

"Are you ready, fiancée?"

Brittany loved the way that rolled off of Santana's tongue. "Yes. Are you, fiancée?" She couldn't help but try it out for herself.

Santana nodded and leaned forward, her hand going to the back of Brittany's neck to pull her gently in. The kiss wasn't rushed, but it wasn't chaste either. It was sensual and felt perfect in this moment. Santana used to strive to be perfect, now all she needed for perfection was to be with the blonde beauty sharing the bed with her. With the ring on the appropriate finger, it was a promise that it would always be perfect.

"I love you." Santana pulled away from the kiss, thumb rubbing gently at the soft skin of Brittany's neck. It wasn't something she felt obligated to say because of the moment, she just really couldn't hold it back.

"I love you, too." Brittany replied and after a moment's worth of gazing into each other's eyes once more, their needs took over. Their lips roughly reconnected with the hunger they had for each other bursting through. Brittany wanted to be the first to give tonight, feeling as though it was something Santana deserved.

Santana's eyes were still closed and she frowned when she felt Brittany move away from their make out session. She felt the other girl shifting on the bed and reluctantly opened her eyes. Brittany was kneeling at the end of the bed, slowly moving back up and between Santana's legs. She picked up each of them and switched back and forth, showering each with slow, sweet kisses. Her fingernails drug lightly up, following the paths her lips were making and forcing goose bumps appear on the tan skin.

"Britt." Santana breathed out, desperately fighting the urge to let her eyes fall shut at the pleasant sensations that were being administered to her body. Brittany's only reply was letting her eyes dart up to lock with Santana's as she quickened her pace, not being able to resist Santana's arousal that she could already see.

Santana pushed her head back into the pillows, finally giving in and closing her eyes at the feel of blonde hair tickling her inner thighs and warm breathe right where she needed her fiancée the most. Becoming impatient when nothing else happened, she looked down to see Brittany giving her a smirk. _I'll wipe that smirk right off of your face if you don't star-oh._ Santana's thoughts disappeared when a wet tongue finally ran along her slit. Her left hand quickly moved to Brittany's head, lightly pushing and bucking her hips up, hoping to set a rhythm. Her right hand reached up to grip at the headboard. If she had long fingernails, they'd be leaving marks.

Brittany started with long strokes, letting Santana's taste invade her mouth and giving herself a chance to explore and discover sensitive spots. She couldn't help but smile as much as her current activity allowed when she felt Santana's hand push on her head. To be honest, she didn't mind if it meant the brunette would keep making those sounds.

"Fuck, so good. Keep going. More." She could only let out a few words at a time. The feeling of Brittany's mouth on her was the best and it had only just started. Santana's hand switched to moving the hair out of Brittany's face when it fell, giving her a better view and letting the other girl have a chance to breathe. It was almost worthless however, because her sight was often hindered by her own body as it rolled involuntarily as the girl between her thighs picked up her speed.

Brittany figured she had teased Santana enough and started to move her tongue faster. As her pace increased, she had to get a stronger hold on Santana's body motions. Her head moved up to flick at Santana's clit, bringing a whole new, yet familiar, set of sounds to the symphony of their love.

"Mmmm Britt. Right there. God I fucking love you." Brittany chuckled at Santana's confessions. It only added to the sensation the brunette was feeling and she went back to lightly tugging at the long golden strands of Brittany's hair.

_Time for the finale._ Brittany took one of her hands off of Santana's hips, making sure to adjust her grip with the other to prevent a huge increase in Santana's mobility. The girl writhing on the bed didn't even notice the removal of the other hand and instead kept her mind focused on the amazing sensations she was feeling. She was right on edge and just needed a little more.

"FUCK BRITTANYYY!" Santana screamed out as her hands unconsciously began to work at her own chest to add to the feeling of Brittany's fingers filling her. Her hips were on autopilot as they moved quickly to match Brittany's fast thrusts. She looked down and noticed her fiancée's head following her movements so her lips could stay attached to the brunette's clit and brining Santana to an unmatched level of ecstasy as she finally fell over the edge.

Brittany slowed down her motions as she brought her girl down slowly. Only heavy pants could be heard as she finally pulled away.

"Fuck, you're so amazing." Santana panted out, hardly believing the intensity of the orgasm she just had. She could barely move and that wasn't okay with her because she needed to return the favor. "I'm so tired. You have to come to me."

Brittany, who had been lying on her side to admire the glow of Santana, went on all fours to look down at Santana. "I'm here."

"Straddle me."

"San, you don't have to do this right now. If you're tired we can take a n-"

"Britt, please?" Santana begged, looking at Brittany with nothing but desire and love in her eyes. She was happy when the other girl finally complied, straddling her thighs.

"Higher." Santana pulled at Brittany's thighs. The other girl slowly crawled up to sit on Santana's lower abdomen. "Higher." Santana lightly scratched at Brittany's thighs, urging the girl up more. Brittany's breath caught as she looked uncertain before moving up so she was right below Santana's breasts. Unable to help herself, she moved her hands down to push them together and massage them, effectively distracting both of them for a few minutes. Finally, Santana gained back her mindset.

"Higher." The two stared into each other's eyes. Dark blues questioned the dark browns, which in turn tried to reassure and plead. Finally, the blonde gave in.

As Brittany's thighs moved to either side of her face, Santana reached her arms up after finally gaining back some strength. She lightly massaged Brittany's hips, following the curve of the hip bone that she found extremely sexy.

Her fiancée was still slightly nervous and Santana could tell. Instead of waiting for the blonde to lower herself, she moved her head up for her first taste of Brittany. Simultaneous moans sounded out, Santana's just adding to Brittany's pleasure. Her strokes eased the other girl's tension and she slowly pulled back, happy to feel Brittany following her down.

Brittany recognized when the brunette was settled back on the pillow and had to bit her lip to distract herself from just grinding on Santana's tongue. Not wasting any more time, Santana took Brittany's clit into her mouth and flicked her tongue repeatedly over it.

Biting her lip wasn't working for Brittany anymore and she couldn't help the subtle rocking she started to do. Santana tapped on Brittany's hip and the girl immediately lifted up, not wanting to stop but not wanting to do something wrong either. They locked eyes once more. "You have to let go baby. I want you to, so much."

Brittany sucked on her bottom lip before nodding. She was so turned on that words wouldn't come to her. Santana nodded at her in confirmation before lightly tugging the girl back to her mouth. This time, she let her tongue slip inside her fiancée.

"Ohhhh San. There!" Santana was pleased to hear Brittany's breathy voice, giving in to what she was making her feel. The muscles in the thighs that straddled her flexed as Brittany started to bounce up and down.

Brittany straightened up, pinching at one of her own nipples while her other hand tangled into her hair. She looked down and her breath caught before releasing an exceptionally loud moan at the sight of Santana's dark eyes staring back at her with so much want. Brittany threw her head back as her hips sped up. "Fuck, your tongue feels good San. I can't believe I'm riding it." Brittany moaned out, hardly believing the position she was in.

Santana moaned into Brittany, becoming increasingly wet again at the visual of the unbelievable woman on top of her and the way she was talking. She felt tight walls closing in around her and the rhythm faltered slightly. Hoping to help out in any way possible, she grabbed Brittany's hips firmly and dragged her back into a quick bouncing rhythm.

"So close. So close! Ohhh God!" Brittany cried out, hips bucking wildly as she jerked through her high. Santana was grateful because she was starting to get sore but as she watched Brittany come apart she knew it was all worth it.

Exhausted and not wanting to suffocate her fiancée (_I can't get enough of that!_), Brittany got off of Santana and flopped onto her back. She was happy when the brunette snuggled into her side because she wanted to be close but moving wasn't much of an option now that she was a dead weight on the bed.

"Well, that was nice." Santana giggled.

"Nice? Try mind-blowing. Like, even more than usual. Like, words cannot describe it." Brittany said, not believe that was all Santana could say.

"You were always better with words." Santana laughed as she kissed Brittany, her fiancée, her future wife, her future baby's mama, _hers_. "Time for bed?"

Brittany shook her head slightly, still not feeling up to moving much. "Time for a nap. We'll continue this later. Tomorrow, we can start wedding plans!"

* * *

><p>A*N – Well, obviously the celebration scene got the most votes and now it's done! That means this story (save for any future one-shots that are related to it, who knows what I might do?) is finally finished! Thank you all for reading!<p>

To those of you who have started following me on tumblr, thanks a lot! I've received many blog recommendations as well that I've been checking out and loving. I also may or may not have found a new crush! Aaand as I've said before, feel free to come and talk to me about anything (glee rants, how much life can suck, how much life can rock, random shizz), I'm pretty friendly I swear! As a thank you to those who follow me, I will be putting up the preview to my next story there so keep an eye out in the next week or two!

To the rest of you, thanks for taking the time to read this. It was a fun ride and I hope to see you guys in the future!


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